Author's Note: Welcome to the fic. This is planned to span from the mid-end of The Lost Age beyond the end of the game. All cutscenes are as well-preserved as possible; text and motion were observed carefully and replicated as best they could be. Chapters are song titles; I will give credit to the artists whose songs I use. Golden Sun: The Lost Age, the Golden Sun universe, and the characters are © Camelot. "Feels Like The First Time" is by Foreigner, and is available on their album "Foreigner" as well as the compilation album "Complete Greatest Hits".
Chapter 1: Feels Like The First Time
The villagers didn't recognize three of the four strangers who walked into their town, battered and beaten. The golden-haired young man with the sword strapped across his back was obviously the leader. The pommel stone of the sword was a large ruby, set into a hilt of mixed gold and steel. He wore heavy metal chest armor, a fine yellow scarf, blue clothes, and light brown gloves and boots. On his back was slung a shield, and under his arm was a battered helm.
The man behind him had a shock of red hair sticking up in a flame-like pattern. He wore armor as well, though his seemed to be made of dragon's scales, and the sword strapped to his side seemed to glow with demonic fire. On his hand was a ring pulsing red and black. He was very muscular, and he also carried a shield, though his was out and on his right arm – it was unusual, seeing a left-handed swordsman.
Alongside the red-haired man was a tall, white-robed, blue-haired woman. She had kind eyes, from what the villagers could tell, and she carried a stone-capped rod, slung across her back. Her smile was as kind as her eyes, though at the moment she seemed glad merely to have come to this town.
Behind them was Ivan, though they barely recognized him. In truth, they hadn't expected him to be so short compared to his companions, nor did they expect his hair to be in that bowl-like cut. A thin blade was strapped to his side, and he seemed to be wearing a merchant's cape over a thin, light set of clothes. He had on bright green boots that matched the cape, and he carried a backpack that seemed especially full. "Garet," he said, tugging on the red-haired man's sleeve, "we should probably rest before seeing my sister."
"If she still lives here," Garet replied. "Though I agree about the resting. Think we'll have enough?" Ivan laughed.
"Garet, we've got enough that if we went to Xian we could probably buy all their silk for three years, I think we have enough for an inn."
"That's a lot of silk," muttered Garet. "What would you do with all of it?" Still, he looked at the girl. "What do you think, Mia?"
"I agree with Ivan – if we're going to meet his sister, we should be healthy, not drained. Besides, I'm sure we have enough money, and if not I can do some healing." The leader looked back at her. "Isaac, unlike you or Ivan or Garet, I've been perfectly fine, just exhausted from the battles is all, and from the unnecessary hiking."
"It wasn't unnecessary," replied Isaac. "Now, if we'd known beforehand that Felix and the others had a stone that could help us through the lighthouse, then it would have been – ow!" He bent over. "Ugh, leg cramped up again. I think that Karst person must've done something to it."
"It's called 'strain', Isaac," said Mia, "and it's because you did that massive lunge while swinging your sword around. The muscle stretched too far, I've told you this before, you should really be more careful."
"All right," sighed Isaac. "How long will it take to heal?" Mia shrugged.
"It usually takes a day or two. Now then, let's rest up. After all, Felix and the others should be here by tomorrow." Isaac nodded in agreement.
Upon reaching the inn, Garet asked the innkeeper, "Do you know where Ivan's sister lives? We'd like to go there tomorrow." The innkeeper looked at him curiously.
"By Ivan you mean…" Garet slapped a palm to his forehead.
"The one in the back, short, with blond hair, sword at his side." The innkeeper did a sort of double take, but nodded. "OK, we'll need directions tomorrow. Right now, though, we need a room. We need four beds, and we've enough coins to pay." The innkeeper nodded slowly.
"It's 80 coins," he said, and Isaac dug through a purse, dropping a handful of coins in varying denominations on the counter after counting out 80. After counting the coins on his abacus to add them up to the right amount and weighing them to make sure none were underweight, the innkeeper nodded. "Room on your right," he said.
Isaac, despite his bad leg, was the first one into the room, and he quickly tossed off his gear before sitting down on one of the four mats, carefully stripping to his undergarments. Lying down on the mat, he breathed a sigh of relief as he let his legs relax. "This feels much better," he said, grinning. "I'll just rest here for a bit."
"Good idea," said Mia, who had entered right after him and chosen the mat diagonally opposite his. She was removing her boots. "Besides, we've had a long day." Ivan nodded as he entered the room.
"And heading back to the base wasn't exactly easy, now was it?" he muttered. "We're just lucky Sheba and Jenna decided to help." He grabbed the mat furthest from the door, relaxing onto the mat.
"Well, of course they decided to help," said Garet. "Jenna's a friend from way back and Sheba… well, Sheba's Sheba. She knows we wanted to help her back at Venus Lighthouse, and now she's helping us." Isaac rolled over onto his front, looking at his friend, who had just sat down on the remaining mat and was removing his boots.
"Except that she's been willingly traveling with Felix, and so have Jenna and Kraden – plus, she heard me agree that Felix is our enemy," said Isaac. "So she might not feel too sympathetic."
"Yes, she would," said Garet, "because we wanted to help her just as much as Felix did." Isaac just sighed and rolled onto his back again, looking at the ceiling. "So what do you think Ivan's sister is like?" he mused as he set aside his shield.
"I have no idea," said Ivan. "I didn't even know I had a sister until today. I always thought I was an only child – and not growing up with any siblings didn't help any. I always got the feeling that Hammet and Layana viewed me more as a son than a servant, even though…" His voice trailed off.
"Even though what?" asked Mia. Ivan shrugged uncomfortably.
"Even though I eventually got a room in the servant's quarters and had to work serving them and their guests." He looked up at the ceiling. "Of course, who knows when I'll see them again. Felix probably has a boat, which is good luck considering that ours drifted off…"
"I wonder where the anchor was," muttered Garet, pausing in the middle of removing his undershirt.
"Lemurian ships probably don't have them, we just probably couldn't find the 'stay put' command," said Mia. "Changing the subject, I don't see why you don't go to a sanctum to get that removed." She indicated the sword at his side. Garet shrugged uncomfortably.
"It's not hurting me any. Besides, with this ring the weapon's kept at bay. It's not hurting anyone." Mia sighed. "Look, if it bothers you that much, I'll get it removed tomorrow after we speak with Felix. But really, I'm fine with it."
"I think it'd be a bit easier on all our minds," said Isaac, glancing briefly at Ivan to see if he assented. "I mean, even ignoring the paralysis curse on it, it's a weapon you can't remove. Those aren't usually good."
"All right, then. Tomorrow afternoon, once we're done with Felix." He paused, then added, "Truth be told, I do kinda miss not being poked in the back by a sword-hilt while I sleep. And before any of you suggest sleeping on my stomach, that's when the hilt pokes me in the gut."
"So, remind me, why did you put it on?" asked Ivan.
"Felt like a good idea at the time," replied Garet, shrugging. "I mean, some of the best weapons we've had have come from places that were… less than safe." He looked at the ring on his right hand. "Besides, this ring's purpose seems to be stopping curses, may as well let it stop this one halfway." Garet lay down on his back. "I just shudder to think what would've happened if I had worn that heavy-looking armor we found, the ring pulsed near it like it did with the sword."
"Probably means it was cursed," said Isaac. "And that probably means you'd be fatigued from sleeping in your armor." Garet chuckled, looking at the ceiling.
"So what do you think Felix'll say?" he asked the others, ignoring as the hilt pressed uncomfortably against him.
"That he's going to keep trying to light the beacons, I imagine," said Isaac, suppressing a yawn. "He hasn't shown any indication of wanting to quit. I just wish I knew why he wanted them lit so badly…"
"Me t-too," said Ivan, before letting out a long yawn. "We'll ask tomorrow, though, so for now I'm just going to sleep…" Ivan's mat rustled slightly as the young man curled up into his normal sleeping position. "Good night."
"Sleep well," muttered Mia, covering herself with her cloak before closing her eyes and slowly drifting off.
"G'night," said Isaac, quietly falling asleep as he closed his eyes.
"'Night," Garet whispered, though he stayed up for another ten minutes contemplating what Felix would say before he too fell asleep, snoring quietly. His dreams were relatively unremarkable, although he did fall into a rather unusual sequence about somebody making shrimp and cabbage stew that had him waking up hungry. As he scrounged in his pack for something to eat, he looked around. It was early morning, barely even sunrise, and the others were enjoying some well-deserved rest. Making himself a small breakfast sandwich out of some leftovers from his last night's meal and a round of bread he sliced in half, he unpacked a fresh set of clothes – while his sweaty clothes didn't bother him all that much, he knew that Mia would want to wash them. However, he slipped on his still-dirty undershirt; it wasn't like it would be noticed, and he didn't exactly have anywhere to change where the others might wake up and see him.
As he was eating his breakfast, Ivan stirred, yawning as he woke up. "Almost as bad as the floor," he muttered, stretching his back as Garet offered him a bread roll. "…Thanks," muttered Ivan, taking the bread roll and continuing to stretch. "So when should we wake them up?" he asked, indicating Isaac and Mia.
"Let them wake up on their own," said Garet between bites. After finishing his sandwich, he fiddled with the ring on his finger.
"Stop that," muttered Ivan. "It's not a good idea to mess with that, we've got no idea if it'll stop working if it's messed with too much, and I don't really like the idea of you freezing up in the middle of our talk with Felix." Garet shrugged, pulling another round of bread from his pack. "How much food do you have in there?" asked Ivan.
"Just a couple more rounds of bread and a few more bread rolls. You like rye?" asked Garet. Ivan shook his head. "I'll wait for Isaac and Mia to wake up, then." At that moment, Mia awakened, sniffing the air lightly.
"Mmm," she muttered, "I smell rye." Stretching, she looked at her already-awake companions. "Can I have some, Garet?" Garet nodded, handing her a well-torn hunk of bread. "We should just make you quartermaster," she muttered before taking a bite. After chewing thoroughly and swallowing, she continued "You already organized all our food among us… Plus, you always pack leftovers to be good even when there's no icebox." She finished off her piece of bread, then began getting dressed; Ivan and Garet tastefully turned their backs to her. "Well, I'm decent," she said. "And we should probably wake Isaac, we need to get going if we're going to meet Felix there. We saw that tent he was carrying, they probably wanted a rest too."
"I just hope they weren't running," said Ivan. "Isaac would get pretty mad if they ran." Garet nodded. "Although… He took Felix's word, and Felix doesn't seem like he'd be one to break his word."
"Never did as long as I knew him," said Garet, strapping on his armor and placing his shield on his back. "So… Let's wake Isaac." He knelt next to the still-sleeping Venus Adept and lightly poked his head. Isaac stirred, turning his head away from the poke. Garet poked the back of his friend's head. Isaac stirred again, murmuring. "Hey, Isaac, wake up." Isaac murmured something, opened his eyes slightly, and sat up – Garet had to move rather quickly to get out of Isaac's way.
"I see you're all dressed," he said to the others, nodding at them. Mia smiled as she put on her boots. Isaac, quick dresser that he was, was ready to go in five minutes, although he didn't say much as he dressed. Standing up and strapping on his sword, he nodded to Garet. "It's time," he said, and with that the four of them walked to Ivan's sister's house.
--
About fifteen minutes after they had entered the house's main room, Felix and the others arrived. Felix was the first one in, and his brown hair seemed more unkempt than when they had parted the previous day, his blade still at his side and his tunic a little more beaten up from (probably) having been slept in. Following him was Jenna, staff set across her shoulders and a grin on her face as she waved to Isaac. Her red hair was tied up in its usual ponytail, which hung over her staff. Following her came Sheba, also toting a staff, as well as a small bag of potions. Garet's gaze lingered a bit on the sun's light reflecting off her blonde hair before moving on to Piers. The tall, blue-haired mariner had an axe of some kind, and his strange split headdress moved in the breeze that blew through the doorway.
Isaac nodded, the faintest trace of a smile on his face. "I'm glad you kept your promise, Felix," he said quietly, nodding at the other man.
"All right, let's hear what he has to say for himself!" called Garet, resisting the urge to fiddle with the ring on his finger. It was beginning to itch now.
Jenna looked a little shocked at Garet's proclamation. "What can we say, Isaac? Has Felix ever harmed you? Have we ever fought against you?"
"Felix's been avoiding you, but he never had any intention of fighting you or anything," added Sheba in a somber tone.
"And he definitely helped us out back at Jupiter Lighthouse," reminded Mia.
"Isaac's been worrying about Jenna nonstop since this nightmare began!" said Ivan, his voice somewhat accusatory and definitely loud for the room. "How could she run away from him like that?" His question was aimed more at Mia than at the rest of the group, and it was rather obvious.
The answer came from Piers. "She was afraid that if we met, we would be forced to fight… She didn't want that."
Isaac shook his head. "I know that, now… But it doesn't explain why you're doing this…"
Kraden sighed. "Felix betrayed his hometown, Vale… That's why he hasn't been able to face Isaac." Felix nodded, looking away from shame. "Felix had hoped to play the villain alone, without getting me or Jenna involved…"
"He betrayed Vale?" asked Garet. "Kraden, what are you talking about?"
"He conspired to steal the Elemental Stars and fire the beacons of the four lighthouses," elaborated Kraden.
"That's what Saturos and Menardi were trying to do," muttered Mia, half-arguing against Kraden's last statement.
"Why were you helping them?" Ivan asked.
After a pause, Jenna said, "Our parents' lives were at stake! We had to help!"
Isaac and Garet looked shocked. "Parents?" asked Garet. "But… your parents died three years ago, in that storm…"
"That night," said Kraden, "Saturos and his men had raided Sol Sanctum… The storm was their doing."
"Garet, you saw two strangers that night – Saturos and Menardi," continued Jenna. "They were the only survivors of Saturos's raiding party."
"They had failed to solve the mystery of Sol Sanctum," said Kraden. "In doing so, they triggered the storm."
"Everyone thought that you were killed by that boulder, Felix," said Jenna, smiling at her brother. "I can't tell you how glad I was to find you were alive!"
"In fact," said Kraden, smiling at Isaac and Garet, "nobody was killed by the boulder that day!"
Isaac frowned in throught. "So that means…"
Ivan's attention snapped to Kraden. "Wait a minute, Kraden… Did you just say nobody was killed by that boulder?"
"But what about Isaac's dad?" asked Mia. "And Jenna and Felix's parents? I thought they'd died that day!"
"I'm not so sure now," said Isaac, a pensive look on his face.
"Yes!" shouted Kraden in excitement. "If Felix survived, Kyle and the others may have as well…"
"Why didn't you tell us?" asked Mia. "We could have worked together to save your parents, couldn't we?"
Felix shook his head. "I could barely save them – what help would you have been?"
"He's right," said Ivan. "They were too powerful then… It would have been impossible."
"There's more to it than that. He had another reason to light the lighthouse beacons," said Kraden, looking directly at Isaac. "Unless the lighthouse beacons are all lit, Weyard will eventually be destroyed."
"Destroyed?" asked Isaac, shocked. "But...how? Why?"
"King Hydros, ruler of Lemuria, says that our world is steadily shrinking," offered Piers. Isaac and Ivan looked at him, sharing the same thought – He's a Lemurian! Mia and Garet, meanwhile, just looked at him, shocked by his pronouncement.
"Elemental energy drives the growth of civilization," added Sheba. "Without it, we and our world will wither." Isaac and Garet looked at each other – the Wise One had failed to mention this when he had given them their task.
"All that because the lighthouses aren't illuminated?" asked Mia skeptically.
"According to my research, that seems to be the case," said Kraden sadly.
"But… once the lighthouses are all lit, you said the world would end anyway!" said Garet, a note of confusion in his voice.
"That… might be true, too… but if we do nothing, the world will definitely end," said Kraden, his voice heavy with uncertainty.
"Wait for the end of the world to come or wind up accidentally triggering it ourselves," muttered Isaac. "What a choice…"
"Nothing is certain," added Kraden in what was obviously supposed to be a hopeful tone. "There is no way to prevent the world from reaching its natural end." Although they knew he was trying to be helpful, the Adepts couldn't help but think that the elderly scholar sounded a little fatalistic. "However, we can fight to save the world from withering away due to the actions of men." Garet turned to Felix.
"And, Felix, you knew this? You were helping them because you knew what was happening?" he asked.
"No," replied Felix, "they never told me."
"You just figured it out along the way, huh? That's still pretty darned smart." Felix opened his mouth to refute that, but closed it, figuring he'd do better to keep his mouth shut and be thought smart rather than open it and be proved an idiot.
"Why did you wait so long to tell me?" asked Isaac, turning to Felix. "I would have helped you…"
"You wouldn't have done it before, Isaac," argued Kraden quietly. "It would have meant violating the sacred teachings of Vale."
"Now that we know all of this, shouldn't we be going?" asked a vaguely familiar female voice. Everyone turned to see the tall purple-haired woman who had just entered the room.
"Hama!" cried Mia, smiling at the familiar face.
"Hello again," said the young woman, looking at Mia, Isaac, and Garet in turn, though she kept her gaze from Ivan.
"Hama!" said Kraden. "You… know Isaac? And his companions, too?"
"We met at the temple on the edge of the Lamakan Desert," began Isaac, but Hama interrupted him, saying, "I'm Hama, descendant of the Anemos." This drew astounded looks from everyone. "I was born in Contigo, and I inherited the power of the Anemos," she continued.
"Hey," said Garet, "We just got into Contigo, and we found out this is where Ivan was born!"
"Yeah… We also learned that he's got a sister!" said Mia.
"Sister… You don't mean," said Sheba hopefully.
Hama frowned apologetically at Sheba. "That would be me, yes," she said. Ivan approached her; she turned to him. "Not now, Ivan… This isn't the time. Three lighthouses have been lit… The elements have been thrown out of balance. Jupiter is growing stronger, and the north grows colder with every passing moment. You must hurry to Mars Lighthouse. Ignite its beacon, before all of Weyard freezes…"
"Mars Lighthouse?" asked Jenna. "Agatio has the Mars Star. He's on his way to light it now!" Hama glowed briefly in Psynergetic light.
"I doubt they will be able to light the Mars beacon," she said.
"Why's that?" asked Piers.
Hama glowed again, using her Psynergy to find the answers. "There is a powerful force that does not want to see Mars rekindled." The Adepts began to look worried. "You will fail as well… unless you pool your strengths together and fight as one."
"This is bad," said Kraden. "We have to go… now!" Hama smiled.
"I had hoped that you would feel that way," she said. "I've prepared a gift for you, to aid you on your way to Mars Lighthouse. I must leave you now, but we will meet at the inlet." And with those parting words, she left the building.
Jenna looked at her childhood friends. "I'm sorry we left Venus Lighthouse without seeing you… I'm sorry for making you worry," she said. They nodded at her. "Maybe when this is all over, we can all go on a trip together," she suggested.
"Hey, Jenna, you sure seem calm, considering that we're racing to meet our enemies," said Sheba. Her voice wasn't as energetic as it normally was.
"I'm just relieved that we've sorted out our differences," said Mia, smiling at the others.
"Me too, Mia," said Piers. "We could not have stood divided against a common foe."
"Yeah," added Garet, "I guess I'm a little happy that we're not going to have to beat Felix up." There was clearly a bit of reluctance in his voice that admitted that beating Felix up might even be somewhat difficult for them.
"Listen, this is Felix's quest now," said Isaac, speaking with authority. "We're just doing what we can to help out…"
"Aren't you happy?" asked Jenna. Felix smiled.
"Yeah, I am," said Felix.
"Everything's finally come together… This is how it was meant to be, Felix," said Kraden, grinning. "But Hama's waiting for us. Let's go to our ship!" They all nodded. As they walked out, Felix hung back as he noticed Isaac's stiff leg movement.
"What's with your leg, Isaac?" he asked, indicating his friend's slight limp. "Break something?"
"No," replied Isaac. "I just strained the leg yesterday and the muscle's still sore." He shrugged. "Otherwise it's just fine."
"You should be more careful," muttered Felix. "Overexert yourself like that and you're likely to end up dead. Or have you forgotten what Karst and Agatio can do?" Isaac refused to reply, instead gritting his teeth and walking even faster. Felix chuckled, although he saw a limp in Isaac's stride and a wince every few steps. After moving faster to catch up, Felix asked, "So, what's going on between you and Jenna?"
"Nothing," said Isaac, bewildered. "Well, nothing recent."
"'Nothing recent' doesn't say much when you've been on our tail for the past three months," pointed out Felix. "So how recent is 'recent'?"
"The past year," said Isaac. "I mean, we've been taught Alchemy by Kraden, and we've been chasing her since she got kidnapped – thanks for keeping her safe," he continued.
"Wait, wait, wait, what about the year before?" Felix's eyes bored into the back of Isaac's head as he tried to figure out what exactly had gone on between Isaac and Jenna. "You said nothing, then nothing recent, then 'this past year'. What happened the year before?"
Isaac sighed. "We thought maybe we could try – well, I mean, she'd tried dating Garet, and that lasted about a month, so she thought maybe me and her, and it worked well for a couple weeks but…" Isaac shrugged. "Kinda fell apart. I wonder if it was the same with Garet." The two Mars Adepts seemed to be talking to different people; Jenna seemed to have gone straight to Mia, while Garet was talking with Piers. "Anyway, what was that whole 'dive off the tower' thing with Sheba? You fall for her that way, too?" Felix just looked away. "Hey, I answered your questions, you should answer mine." Felix continued to refuse to speak.
Meanwhile, Mia and Jenna were talking about their various groups. "I think he saw a little bit of me in her, y'know?" asked the latter. "I mean, otherwise why would he have dived off the lighthouse?"
"Maybe he's just got that hero instinct. I've noticed it in Isaac a fair few times, when he wasn't being single-minded about finding you." Mia grinned. "And, to be fair, the two of them seem to have a lot in common, apart from the obvious. A sense of fair play, a certain hard-headedness, a lack of willingness to speak…"
"Tell me about it," said Jenna. "It's like you could swap one for the other, sometimes." She looked around. "So what's Ivan like on the road?"
"Indispensable," said Mia. "I think growing up in Hammet's house gave him a knack for dealing with shopkeepers, he has a sort of sixth sense for a good deal. We've given him unofficial control over our quest money, and he's done well with it." She paused, then said, "I wonder if he was like this when it was just the three boys."
"Bet he was," said Jenna. "They'd probably have used him to try and get better deals on stuff." She paused, then said, "Do you have to share a room with any of 'em when you stay at an inn?" Mia nodded.
"Usually we grab a four-bed room at an inn. They're cheap, Garet can sleep watch, and we don't have to worry about having to fight alone if we're ambushed while we sleep. Of course, when we have to camp out, I get my own tent." Mia grinned. "We may be safety-minded, but the boys respect my privacy."
"Somehow I get the feeling us girls will be sharing a room from now on," said Jenna, laughing slightly. "Sheba and I shared one, but we never let the boys stay with us if we could help it."
"Safety in numbers," said Mia. "Besides, I'm a healer, not a fighter. I'd end up down in a minute if I had to fend for myself." She smiled. "At least I won't have to worry about that anymore, huh?" Jenna nodded.
While their conversation had switched to rooming arrangements, Garet and Piers were holding a rather different conversation. "Be natural, is my advice," said Garet. "She doesn't like it when people act forced, it's the big reason she and Isaac broke up. He was trying too hard."
"Oh? I'll keep that in mind, then. So move slow, be natural… Right now it sounds like you're telling me 'be a Lemurian'," joked the mariner. Garet gave him a playful arm-punch. "So why did you two break up in the first place?"
"I dunno… the romance just kinda faded, I guess. Maybe I was too natural or something. At least I was with her longer than Isaac… Like I said, don't try too hard." Garet paused, then said, "So when are you gonna tell her?" Piers shrugged.
"Probably soon," he said. "I might take her aside sometime and confess. But don't breathe a word of this to anybody. I'd rather not have her find out from anyone else." Garet nodded.
"Of course. You've got my word on it." Garet paused, then said, "So what's Sheba like?"
Piers smiled at Garet. "Enigmatic. Bold. Passionate. Mischievous. Why do you ask?" Garet just looked at a roadside bush. "Could it possibly be a budding attraction?" The bush seemed more interesting than Piers had first suspected.
"Just… trying to find out about new teammates," said Garet, his voice a little bit higher than when he had begun the conversation. Piers chuckled. "I'd ask about Felix and Jenna, but I know them." The young Mars Adept didn't quite look Piers in the eye as he said that, continuing to marvel at the Attekan roadside plant life. "And I'm talking with you, so I'm getting to know you…" His tone didn't quite convince Piers, but the mariner dropped the subject, as he didn't want to alienate his new teammate. "Anyway… 'Passionate', you say? In what way?"
Piers chuckled. "Her usual approach to life. She's normally not this… withdrawn. She seems a bit more down-hearted compared to normal." Garet looked over at her, seeing her walking alone. "…You realize that she's a better source of information about herself than I am?" asked Piers quietly. Garet turned to look at the mariner and nodded.
"…If you'll excuse me… And just remember what I said about Jenna and you'll do fine." Piers nodded, turning to join the conversation that Ivan and Kraden were sharing. Garet, meanwhile, walked up to Sheba and tapped her on the shoulder. She spun around, looking somewhat startled.
"Oh, hi, Garet," she said. Her voice sounded about like it had at the end of the big group conversation, slightly hollow and lacking energy.
"Something bothering you?" he asked. She shrugged. "You just… You kinda look like you did back in Tolbi. Melancholic, if you will."
"It's nothing," she said, a hint of stubbornness in her voice. "Just a long day." Garet continued to walk alongside her.
"It doesn't seem like nothing, and it's barely noon," he pointed out. "Look, you can trust me, all right? We're on the same team."
"Says the guy who thinks of people as 'enemy' or 'friend'," scoffed Sheba, looking at the scenery instead of at him.
"I had my reasons for saying what I did! And besides, I know more now. I'm not ignorant." Sheba didn't bother replying to that. After a few moments of silence, Garet said, "You thought it was you."
"Wh-what?!" exclaimed Sheba, looking at Garet as though he'd just said something utterly inappropriate.
"When Hama was talking about Ivan's sister. You thought it was you she meant." Garet paused, then added quietly, "So did I." Sheba looked away.
"Th-that's preposterous," she muttered. "Why would I think…?"
"I don't know why," said Garet. "You just… you looked like you were thinking it." The red-headed man shrugged. "I don't pretend to know what goes on in people's heads – I'm not a Jupiter Adept. I just go by what my gut tells me, and my gut tells me you thought you were Ivan's sister." She continued looking off to the side. "…All right, I'll drop it." He looked over at what she was looking at. "You know? There was a more interesting bush about twenty yards back."
Sheba chuckled. "Yeah? Well this one's in full bloom. I figure that's pretty interesting." Garet grinned at the fleeting moment of happiness in her voice; her expression was quickly returning to a more melancholy one.
"Y'know, my sister grows flowers. I bet she'd love to have one of these in her garden. Not that it doesn't already have a lot of different flowers…" He refrained from adding out that before he'd left, his training stone had crushed about half of the flowers in said garden.
"Really?" asked Sheba. "What kind of flowers does she grow?" Her gaze had turned to a tree that had a few pears hanging from it.
"Um… hang on, I'll try to remember the names… Roses, I know, she loves red roses, and I think she also grows tulips and snapdragons and…" He paused, brow furrowed in thought. "Lilacs. Lots of lilacs. And a lot of them tried to creep into my training area…" He shrugged.
"Sounds like a nice garden," said Sheba. "How big is it?"
"Surrounds most of the house," said Garet. "Although if you knock even one petal off one of her flowers she gets pretty angry at you. House looks amazing with the garden in front, but… well… Let's just say I stopped running through Kay's garden after the first time it happened." Sheba rolled her eyes. "Hey, my sister is scary when she's mad."
"How scary compared to the stuff you've faced?" she asked. Garet pondered this for a moment as Sheba looked him over.
"I'd have to say… that if she were the enemy we had to fight, I wouldn't do it." Sheba gave him a "quit fooling around" look. "I'm serious. She can get really, really scary when she wants to. It's not so much her ability to smack me around as it is her ability to intimidate me. I might be able to win in a fight, but she would use her 'evil eye' on me in a second if I tried." Sheba rolled her eyes again and continued walking down the road.
"I think our ship's up ahead. I can see the docks." She paused and grinned at him. "You're not going to be scared of a boat ride, are you?" she asked, her voice dripping with sarcasm. Garet just laughed and grinned at her.
"So that's the harbor?" said Ivan. Piers nodded. "Doesn't look like much, the Kalay harbor was more impressive than this. Then again, the Kalay Harbor was also closer to the city." Kraden nodded.
"Proximity probably has a lot to do with the impressiveness of the harbor." Kraden adjusted his glasses and continued. "For instance, Lemuria and Tolbi are two of the most impressive separate-harbors in the world, and they're located very close to their cities."
"What about Champa?" asked Piers. "Their harbor wasn't too impressive. And that was located within the city."
"Champa's an exception, as it was, until recently, facing extreme poverty." Kraden nodded as if that settled the whole matter.
"Lalivero's harbor wasn't exactly big… it was just Babi's boat in a shed, and that town was fairly well-off. If they had a better harbor I bet they could become a trade hub like Kalay or Tolbi," said Ivan. "I wonder why they haven't."
"All right, so there are two exceptions now. But the general trend remains, the closer to the main city the better the harbor." Kraden furrowed his brow. "Alhafra's harbor was particularly impressive, events considered."
"All right, I'll accept that," said Ivan. "I guess it's easier when the people who have to maintain the harbor live closer to either it or the town. Makes materials and other expenses a lot cheaper because you aren't transporting things very far. You can probably also hire a bigger staff because people live closer to the harbor." Kraden nodded.
"That would explain a lot of the why," he agreed. "So who taught you so much about economics?" Ivan grinned.
"Master Hammet did. He sometimes let me tag along with the caravan when I was really young, and he's always tried to teach me to look at the flow of money and the economic situation in a town." He grinned. "At any rate… I bet that's the harbormaster's cabin… You know, the harbor looks more like a cove than a harbor."
"Well, think about how far away it is, it's a good ways away." Ivan nodded slowly. "So, logically…"
"I guess it makes sense," said Ivan. "So… Did your ship always have wings?" he asked as the ship came into view.
"No… I don't remember those being added," said Piers. "Must have happened while we were at the Lighthouse." Ivan nodded slowly. "At any rate, here we are." They looked around at the people gathered. "I think this is everyone in Contigo," muttered Piers, looking at the expectant crows. "Wonder what they're expecting."
"It probably has to do with the ship and the wings," said Ivan. Slowly, the adepts and Kraden climbed the ladder that led to the ship. Standing atop the small rock outcropping on which the gangplank rested was Hama; with her were four monks.
Felix approached her as soon as the whole group was atop the grass-coated rock. Hama smiled at him. "I've been waiting for you, Felix. Take a look at your ship." She grinned as she looked at it, and the other Adepts gave the ship a once-over. "Now that you have been given wings, all obstacles in our path will vanish forever…" She frowned slightly. "However, it is not the wings alone that grant your ship the power of flight. Psynergy is the force that powers the Wings of Anemos. If the ship is to fly, you will need to focus the power of your minds…" Her gaze sharpened as she looked Felix in the eye. "You have visited Shaman Village recently, have you not?" Felix nodded. "Now is the time to make use of the powers you acquired there. Now… Use the power of Hover to raise your ship! At first, you may not want to move your ship too high or too far…" Felix arched an eyebrow, and she explained, "It will be difficult at first, but that is to be expected… After all, this is your first flight." She smiled. "But your quest should not demand so much more of you… Now, be confident and set sail!" And with that she stepped aside. "All of Contigo is watching… Show them your power, and make your vessel fly!"
Felix motioned to the others. "Come on, guys," he said, leading them onto the gangplank. Just as he had let everyone else on the ship and was halfway to following them, however, a voice yelled, "Hey, wait!" Felix and the others turned to look at the voice's source. Ivan let out a gasp of recognition. Standing there was a blond man with a fairly buff build. "Master Hammet requested that I deliver this to Isaac, and I totally forgot about it!"
"Well, you'd better hurry," said Hama; it was unclear from her tone whether she was surprised or irritated.
"I'm supposed to deliver this to Isaac," repeated the messenger. "It's not too late, is it?" Felix shook his head, and the messenger placed a small chest at the foot of the gangplank.
"On my way here, I stopped in Kalay briefly to speak with Master Hammet," said Hama. She frowned slightly. "He ws quite upset that you hadn't returned to visit him so that he could thank you. So he requested that I take this with me to Atteka." She smiled. "It is a gift of thanks from Master Hammet. Take it, please." Felix walked back to the chest and opened it, taking out the cloth-wrapped package inside. The package was rectangular and heavy. After giving it to Isaac, he went directly to the helm. Ivan watched as Isaac unwrapped the cloth.
As the gift was revealed, Ivan's eyes widened. "Wow… Even with all his money, to get his hands on that…" A fair-sized, dense metallic bar with a slight golden sheen sat in Isaac's hands, still somewhat shrouded in cloth. "Do you know what that is?" asked Ivan.
"…Orihalcon, isn't it?" asked Isaac. "That really rare metal stuff?" Ivan nodded. "How much d'you think it's worth?"
"This much? It'd drain Master Hammet's coffers by a tidy amount, he'd have to have two very good years in order to purchase it without worrying about having enough money to keep up trade the next year… I wonder how long he's had this…" The ship began moving with a slight lurch as the stone anchors placed on the wings were dropped and the vessel began moving of its own accord, Felix guiding its motions.
As they sailed out of the harbor, the Adepts noticed some rocks blocking the way and quickly decided to use the Hover Jade to fly over them. As they passed over the rocks, missing them by inches before splashing back into the water, Ivan exclaimed, "We did it! The ship took off without a hitch!"
"Yeah," said Garet, "but… shouldn't it be flying a little higher than this?" He looked worriedly over the edge.
"Hama told us that we wouldn't be able to fly very high until we were more familiar with Hover," reminded Mia, readjusting her pack.
"Let's see how far we can take this thing!" said Isaac, grinning as he ran a hand along the railing. Jenna, meanwhile, looked over at Sheba.
"Sheba, what's wrong? You don't look happy…" That was something of an understatement; Sheba looked very glum indeed, and was leaning against the cabin, not really looking at anything except the Hover Jade that rested in her hands.
"Do you remember on Idejima, when I told you I had my own reasons for joining your quest?" she asked, turning the large gem in her hands slowly.
"You were so secretive!" said Kraden, readjusting his glasses and looking at her. "Are you going to tell us now?" Sheba just stood silently against the cabin, rotating the gem in her hands.
"You've gone quiet again… It's OK," said Jenna, walking over to Sheba and placing a hand on her shoulder. "You don't have to tell us if you're not ready yet." Sheba looked at Jenna, then walked a few feet toward the helm.
"I thought that if I went to Jupiter Lighthouse, I would learn who I was…" Everyone exchanged glances at that; only Garet and Ivan looked truly unsurprised.
"I remember the people in Lalivero talking about how Sheba fell from the sky," muttered Isaac, piecing things together in his mind.
"All my life, I've been looking for the answer… Where was I born, and why was I abandoned?" Sheba shoved the Hover Jade into a pocket on her robe and began to pace the deck.
"You knew Felix was going to Jupiter Lighthouse eventually," said Piers, who was sitting on the stairs leading to the prow, "and so you went along with him."
"But you didn't find any answers, did you, Sheba?" asked Mia, who was anxiously watching the younger girl pace.
"I'm sorry, Sheba," said Ivan quietly. "I was so excited to find Contigo that I didn't consider your feelings."
"What?" asked Garet. "Why is everyone so down all of a sudden?" Sheba stopped in her pacing, looking at him with an expression half incredulous and half glare. After waiting for her to respond and being met with only silence, he continued. "Faran raised Sheba like his own daughter. He's cared for her ever since he first found her!"
"Yes, that's true, but…" Her gaze had softened, although it was still somewhat angry.
"But you can never be his real daughter, is that it?" Sheba turned her back to him.
"Garet! You don't have to be so blunt about it!" said Jenna, walking over to her fellow Mars Adept and thwacking him on the back of the head.
"No, he's right," said Mia quietly. "I'd want to know my real parents, no matter how caring Faran might have been." Garet flashed a quick smile of gratitude at Mia. Jenna still looked slightly irate.
"You think so?" asked Garet. "If it were me, I doubt it'd bother me at all…" Sheba made a small noise of disbelief at Garet's words. Kraden, meanwhile, walked over to the young Jupiter Adept, placing a hand on Sheba's shoulder.
"Sheba," he said, "you may not know this, but you and I are very similar…"
"What do you mean?" asked Sheba, looking at the sage's hand on her shoulder.
"Well, it's not exactly the same situation, but…" Kraden looked off at the horizon. "I was born in a poor village. My memories are hazy, but I still remember it. I was only four when Babi took me under his wing. You see, even though I was young, I was quite intelligent. Babi had heard about me…" Kraden's voice trailed off as he reminisced.
"And Babi took you to Tolbi to further your education, to raise you as a scholar," concluded Isaac. Kraden nodded.
"I was separated from my parents so early in life… I've never known the comforts of a true home," mused Kraden.
"Faran has always been like a father to me," whispered Sheba. "I must have been very lucky."
"I should say so," agreed Kraden. Ivan nodded in agreement as well.
"Thank you, Kraden," said Sheba, placing her hand on the elderly sage's. "I feel better now…" She stood on tiptoe and kissed his cheek; it was like watching a granddaughter and her grandfather.
"I'm glad I could help," said Kraden, smiling at her. "Well, we should be going… Let's hurry on, Felix!" Felix nodded from the helm, guiding the boat toward another range of flat rocks.
"All right, let's try the jade again!" he said. As they focused on the jade, the ship rose into the air, clearing the rocks by several feet, though the large stone spires still seemed to threaten the boat.
As soon as they had cleared the rocks, Sheba walked over to Garet. "Thank you as well," she said. "For… well, your honesty, for one. Albeit, your tact needs some work, but on the whole you're a very honest person, and that's very commendable." He just grinned at her.
"Hey, like I said, I just go with my gut – and my gut's the most honest part of me." Sheba laughed as the ship sailed onward, off to parts unknown.