PowerZone Productions

(in cooperation with The Last Djinni)

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PRESENTS

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CROSSBONE

(A Golden Sun FanFiction)

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X ~~~ EPISODE 1: FADING HOPE ~~~ X


PART 1: THE TAINTED OCEAN

Aboard the Tolbi-bound ship…

Lightning flashed nearby and thunder boomed a nanosecond later. Amid the torrential waters across the monster-infested Karagol sea, the group of Adepts – Isaac, Garet, Ivan, and Mia – banded together with a group of fighters and brave men to secure the ship as it sailed to the other side of the sea, where the city of Tolbi stood wait for people around the land to witness the annual Colosso.

And as the ship's captain feared, the monstrous kraken emerged from the deepest area of the sea to bring down just another unlucky wooden memento. But this time, the kraken would bring itself up against a challenge.

"Whatever means there are, we should use them to bring the kraken down!" Isaac roared, swinging his sword to block a poison-infested whiplash.

Ivan, meanwhile, cast a defensive spell over all the fighters in the area. This spell would temporarily protect them against any elemental attacks the kraken would unleash – such as the froth of bubbles that nearly claimed the lives of three foolish fighters. They were quickly brought below deck to be tended.

"It's been a while since we've been backed – ever since we've been fighting a faster monster in the Lamakan," Garet remarked.

"But with the kraken unmoving, it's weight might bear down the ship unless we can defeat it!" Ivan yelled.

Isaac grunted. He cast a Spire Psynergy to disorient the kraken. "All the more reason we have to bring it down!"

"Watch out!" Mia screamed.

Isaac was trying to land a good blow on the kraken's underside as the leviathan reared its body to make one large slam at one of the fallen warriors. But fighting in the middle of storm – the incredibly bad timing to fend off a boss monster – and dealing with panicked passengers multiplied the intensity of the pressure to the Adepts, young as they were to be fighting so much. The pressure messed up their concentration as the Adepts scrambled on the deck, avoiding the beats of the kraken's razor whips and slipping on the wetness of the deck's floor. Isaac had to avert his offensive as he caught sight of the leviathan's move.

"I unleash Granite!"

From out of his outstretched arm came a wondrous pulsing mahogany-tinted orb that immediately dispersed in multiple showers, which then scattered around the area to provide protection and defense to its master's allies. The Venus Djinn made full concentration on the struggling warrior about to be fully squashed from the kraken's underside.

"Shine Plasma!" Ivan let loose a barrage of brightly colored lightning bolts to fend off two incoming kraken whiplashes.

Garet had his Mars attacks directly on the kraken. But the rain weakened the power of the fires he let out, unless Garet was close enough to deal good damage – which imposed serious risks.

Mia's Mercury Psynergy would get an additional boost on its power and effect because of the rain. However, since the kraken was a water-oriented monster, the rain conversely powered-up its water attacks as well. To compensate for this, Mia had her healing Psynergy always ready and her Djinni to assist the other Adepts in battle. She cast a protective field around Garet, ready to do some head-on battle against the kraken – the Mars Adept had climbed halfway up the tallest mast and hoped to get a clear blow from high up.

"Storm Ray!" Ivan's Jupiter Psynergy surged across the deck. Water was a good conductor of lightning, so Ivan had to use his element to his advantage. He had let loose his ray of electricity to fend off some more whiplashes aimed for Isaac and some other brave and/or foolish defenders.

"I'll try to get a good hit from the other side," Isaac called out. He gripped the hilt of his sword as he spotted a clear opening from where he could work to hack and slash the kraken. "Mia, come with me!"

"Alright!" the Mercury Adept responded.

The two Adepts raced across the battlefield as they ducked and jumped over more whiplashes and dodged the barrage of destructive water blasts and poisonous breaths from the kraken. One of the kraken's whips almost caught Mia in her path when a burst of fire shot down on the kraken's head from above. Garet was working his Psynergy from the top of the mast. As long as the kraken was distracted, the Adepts could deal some good damage. Ivan was doing his best to fend off the whiplashes.

Isaac clenched his fist and raised it into the air. Then with the swift downward swing, he roared, "Ragnarok!" Instantly, a Venus-infused colossal sword rammed into the kraken's body from out of nowhere.

The kraken roared, having felt the intensity of the pain received from the Psynergy. And what it did next would send Isaac out of his wits. The monster used its whips to lift its whole body off the deck. Whether it was going to body slam on Isaac and Mia or it was going to slam the whole ship down, the Venus Adept would have to think fast.

"I summon Cybele!"

From the reserved energy of the three Venus Djinn Isaac released earlier, a miniature earth monster planted seeds on the floor below the midair kraken. From where the seeds landed, long stretches of vines sprouted from the wooden floor and caught the kraken. The kraken tried to slash off the vines but the whips were no match for the razor-sharp Psynergetic plants holding it and piercing it.

All too soon, the vines disappeared sending the kraken back to the deck and heaving a massive slam, causing the boat to rock violently.

And this was the first mistake Isaac realized.

For where Isaac stood as the kraken landed, his foot got caught on the nearby ropes. He lost his footing and Isaac was hurled over the edge of the ship. The ropes, however, snared his foot, and the Mercury Adept was dangling by the ankle for dear life. The treacherous waters beneath were terrifying.

"Hold on!" he could hear Mia cry as he felt his body being dragged up back to the deck.

"Ivan!" yelled Garet, descending the ladder from the mast and attempting to come to the aid of the Venus Adept in serious trouble. "We have to help them!"

The Jupiter Adept took heed of the distress call. "I summon Gust!"

Ivan found the Jupiter Djinni, Gust, a useful ally since the Djinni did not just allow Ivan to strike with the power of Jupiter but also grant him some bonus movement before moving in for the quick strike. As the Jupiter Adept arrived at the aid of Mia, still trying to hoist Isaac up, Ivan caught sight of an approaching whiplash above. Using the opportunity, Ivan lunged upwards for a quick strike, sending the whiplash upward.

Garet arrived a few seconds later, after casting a well-placed Heat Wave straight to one of the kraken's eyes. The monster writhed in agony, leaving it completely vulnerable to the melee attacks of the non-Adept warriors.

"Help me!" Mia called out.

Swiftly as it should have been, the three Adepts attempted to hoist their leader back to the deck, who had been dangling over the edge with the rope snared around his leg.

"Look out!" Ivan shouted.

Mia was too busy pouring her strength to lift her comrade. Garet took note of Ivan's call as it was alerted by an approaching barrage of whips. The kraken had been agonizing but it was more aggravated than ever.

Garet got into position. "Fireball!" From his outstretched arm came a flurry of fireballs aimed for the whips. However, the rain quickly weakened the fireballs such that the Mars damage done to the whips was almost nulled. This did not stop Garet from unleashing a Heat Wave, which became more effective since the whips were nearer. But it did not stop the kraken from attacking.

Ivan got knocked back by one of the whips. Garet was tossed to the other side of the deck. Mia got caught in one of the whips and was hurled over the edge. However, Isaac caught her hand and tightened his grip.

"Isaac!"

"D-Don't let go!" Isaac called. The drench of the rain slacked his grasp and he feared the worst that could happen. The rope that snared his leg was starting to loosen, maybe after the sudden impact from the kraken's near-surprise attack. Isaac could not do anything. He would have to let go of Mia to save himself – but that would put Mia in terrible peril as she could succumb to her own element. But if he exerted some more effort to tighten his grip, he and Mia would plunge right into the sea and possibly face the full wrath of the storm and the hand that would be death's.

If there were miracles, now would be the best time for Isaac to hope for them.

"Isaac…" he heard Mia wail.

The Venus Adept couldn't believe what he was feeling. Normally in this situation, he expected Mia to at least shift a little of her weight upwards to try and hold herself up. But she was doing the complete opposite: her body weight was shifting down the sea. This terrified Isaac, as he could not think of anything life saving to do. Such a decision – to let go or hold out – frustrated him. If only time would be more lenient to the both of them, Isaac could still find a way. But time was not on his side.

"Mia," Isaac said, trying to calm himself in the face of the natural adversity.

The Mercury Adept tilted her head upward gently. The Adepts' eyes met – one of hopelessness and one of determination, one of suffering and one of courage, one where all options for survival might have run out and one where miracles could happen anytime, anywhere.

He whispered, which Mia could not hear – but understand.

"Trust me."

Where there could have been pealing of bells or a void that sucked out every aspect of noise, only imagination could construct the rest of the puzzle. For while the Adepts' continued their gaze upon each other, the thin line that connected sanity and panic had not been fully defined to describe their emotion of the moment. And where there could have been words to exchange, even mere sounds that would send hints to one another on what to do, their laborious breaths on the dignified slow-motion of the scenery seemed to define the future – as the two of them plunged down… down…

The scenario righted itself almost immediately, and the last thing Isaac heard before his body met the unmerciful waters was the outcry of a nearby person – his name. Whether he could recognize it or not was up for Isaac to decide as he thought of the bitter pangs of fate that carried with the waves.

He never let go of Mia's grasp, or rather Mia never let go of his grasp. Isaac tried to shout – but it was utterly and universally useless to make out a sensible word underwater.

From the back of his mind, he heard a song – a mysterious melody that told Isaac to dive.

Trusting it, Isaac grasped Mia's arm tightly and submerged the both of them underwater. The underwater was a stately gray. Only the myriad of bubbles on all sides graced their presence as the two Adepts found it more difficult to submerge as the tossing waves kept pushing them down to the seafloor. He would have all the time to explain to Mia later why he would do such a thing – perhaps if time would be a little more lenient to the both of them for survival.

There was limited vision underwater, but the areas of the seas were always calmer. Isaac could make out the disturbance of the surface as the bottom of the ship continued on its own course – being guided by the waves to a direction where no one knew. The rowers were engaged in battle against some of the monsters that infiltrated the ship, so the ship wasn't exactly moving forward as it was supposed to be. Nevertheless, the ship continued to move away from where the two submerged Adepts were.

"Mia!" Isaac blurted but only a big bubble came out from his mouth.

Much to his horror, the Mercury Adept was unconscious. Soft streams of bubbles were issuing from her mouth – signaling that she was about to succumb to death, if Isaac didn't do anything. But if they surfaced even to gasp for air, they would be tossed by the waves and eventually succumb to death as well.

With the difficult decision he had to make in an incredibly stressful situation, Isaac searched for more alternatives. He could try to conjure Psynergy – only to find out that he was tapped. He believed Mia was also drained as well with all the healing and support. Their Djinn were on set mode and could be released to standby. But with the water about to clog his brain, Isaac's mental capacity started to shut down. Slowly, he could feel the grasp of fate entwining his body - his spirit. There was nothing else he could do as his vision blurred; and the last thing Isaac saw was a figure of someone or something swimming over to him…

Back in the ship…

"Isaac! ISAAC! MIA!" Ivan yelled as he caught sight of two figures that hit the water. He leaned over to the edge for any desperate signs of them. The rope that had snared Isaac's leg a few seconds ago showed nothing on its end. There was nary a person that even clung to any lifeline on the boat. Ivan believed that the two of them were overboard. "Man overboard! Man overboard!" He called out.

The kraken, however, was too busy trying to bring down the ship and those that resisted its attempt. There was virtually nobody to answer the call. Garet must have been serious injured after the last whiplash and his possibly painful landing on the other side of the deck.

Ivan searched for anything he could use to try and rescue the two of them. But when he got a better field of view of the sea, he knew it was impossible. The waves were just as tormenting as the wrath of the monster still too focused on the takedown.

"Garet!" Ivan roared over the howl of the winds.

"I'm here."

The Jupiter Adept heard it. It certainly belonged to Garet. Judging by his response, he was struggling. Ivan went around the back of the kraken and found Garet on a heap of slimy goo that the kraken had spat out as it engaged in battle with the Adepts. The goo saved Garet from painful impact since Garet had gotten up immediately and there were no bruises on him – save one on his left arm that he incurred when he was slammed to the wall.

"What happened to them?" Garet asked quickly. He aimed a Fireball to an incoming whip. The Mars Psynergy knocked the whip out of the range of the two Adepts.

Ivan was panting. "They went overboard."

"What?" Garet roared. "We've got to rescue them quickly!"

"We can't," Ivan responded. The truth hurt.

Garet almost lost control. He seized Ivan by the collars of his robe and hissed loudly. "That's my best friend and our best healer down in the sea. If they die, it's going to be our fault."

"I want to do something," Ivan countered, "but unless the rain can slow down and the kraken is thrown away, we can't do anything. Besides, we also swore to protect the ship until it reaches Tolbi."

"Who are we to count on at this time?" Garet spat, still not letting go of Ivan.

Before Garet could finish, Ivan shouted. "I really want to do something to save them, but we just can't. Accept it!"

The Mars Adept released a hand and clenched his fist, ready to hit Ivan hard on where he could be reached. Sensing this, Ivan clapped his hand and let out a giant gust of wind that knocked back Garet, toppling over one of the unconscious soldiers. Meanwhile, the kraken was already getting to work on breaking the mast.

Ouranos, one of the longest-surviving non-Adept warrior, rushed to Garet's aid. "What happened?"

"Isaac and Mia," Garet said, "they went overboard."

Ouranos gasped. "We must tell the captain, quickly!"

Garet nodded as he stood up and followed Ouranos back inside the ship to alert the captain.

Ivan only stood there as he watched the both of them. He was left alone to fend for himself against anything that would harm him – the kraken included. There was no choice left - no way out.

"God of lightning, I summon thee," Ivan chanted as he closed his eyes and allowed an incredible burst of Jupiter Psynergy work in him. This was his final avenue against the kraken. If it didn't work – nothing would.

In the depths of the Karagol Sea…

There was silence.

The melody of silence was one Isaac had been wishing to hear once more. He couldn't stand the few eternity-long times he spent on the journey ever since he betrayed his home. Silence was like the pealing of bells that no one could hear – only that it had a distinct melody which he could not exactly describe. As his body set in motion – seeing that his spirit hadn't completely given up, he searched around for any last lifelines.

He watched something approached him. It was swimming gracefully, almost like a mermaid in a far-flung myth. Could it be Mia?

But in the murky and unsettling sea, Isaac could not exactly figure out what was coming. Was it even there to save them? Was it there to pose as another kind of danger, which already unnerved him in more ways than one?

Suddenly the waters around him started to warm. It was an unnatural phenomenon for the water's temperature to rise at shallow depths. But Isaac felt as if his Psynergy was acting. He looked at his hands and was appalled to find out that they were vivaciously glowing a vibrant brown. The vividness spread to his arms, then to his legs, and then through his entire body. Isaac had become one with his Psynergy.

It was when he remembered about what happened as he, Garet, and Ivan set out in Kolima village the first time, only to find out that the whole village was cursed from Tret's power. Their Psynergy began acting up and they were covered in some pure essence of their own Psynergy, protecting them from the same sparkles that cursed the people.

It took the Venus Adept to connect things together. Even in the face of death, their Psynergy would always be there to help them out. Psynergy could only be strengthened if spirit could be fused together with the mind to become more than willpower. Maybe this was the final saving lifeline he needed.

"Isaac…" he heard someone call from within his mind.

"Mia?" Isaac said. This time he could hear himself even though another big bubble issued from his mouth.

"Down here," she said.

Isaac lowered his head to find out that Mia was enveloped in a burst of cool blue radiation in a similar manner as his. Their Psynergy had come for them when they needed it the most.

"Is this Psynergy?" Mia inquired. She was hinting some apprehension.

"Yeah," Isaac answered. "I think this can only be triggered when the spirit hasn't exhausted itself."

"It reflects some of the teachings of the Mercury Clan," Mia responded this time with more confidence – which she had come to accept the unknown. "It takes everything in the mind to exhaust the spirit, but the spirit will always come to accept the mind."

"Is this the spirit of our Psynergy?"

"Most likely, though I am not entirely sure."

"What do you mean?"

Mia's spiritual form ascended and came in level with Isaac, who still hadn't moved much since the appalling discovery. "It's as I meant it," she answered. "The teachings of the Mercury Clan only applied to what the mind can do for our other bodily faculties. As healers, we have that obligation to know what there is to know with body functions."

Isaac was reminded of the Fuchin Temple test. "Master Nyunpa said that as Adepts, we could channel our mind using our spirit, which is fueled from our bodily functions. I'm beginning to see that there's some sort of cycle of the mind-body-spirit."

"Something tells me that Psynergy is the center of it all," Mia said thoughtfully.

"And all the more reason we have to find out more from Kraden," Isaac finished with a defeatist manner in his tone.

"They could be far away by now…"

"The ship too…"

Back in the ship…

"God of lightning, I summon thee… For the hand of might shall deliver justice!"

The incredible burst of Jupiter Psynergy worked around Ivan as he chanted his call for his ultimate Summon. Ivan joined his hands together as the wave of Jupiter started to overwhelm the kraken, which had taken notice of Ivan's Jupiter spell to use against it.

Ivan was lost in an orb of green purified Psynergy that intensified like a hurricane. The kraken was beginning to lose its ground. Some of the wounded fighters snapped out of themselves and fled for cover as Ivan's Jupiter rampage continued to rescind whatever battle scar there had been obtained. Lightning crashed on different areas around the ship and sparks continued to crackle where there was water from the downpour.

And with the hand of retribution, Ivan roared ferociously, "I summon Thor!"

When this was said, a pillar of Jupiter Psynergy with mixes of green, red, and purple sparks emerged from where he stood and ascended high up to the stormy heavens. Four magnificent purple orbs – the spirit of standby Jupiter Djinn – pranced around the dazzling pillar and disappeared where the most trained eye can reach.

The kraken had witnessed everything and was clinging onto the ship for whatever it could do.

"I have heard your summons," a devastating malevolent voice echoed from the heavens. This was orchestrated by an arrangement of lightning that solidified to become beams of light that started to form a complicated geometrical pattern. The pattern was more of a triangle inscribed in a circle, but those in the ship got the picture. When the pattern was completed, an ear-splitting glass shatter echoed, intimidating the waters but enraging it more.

Meanwhile, Garet emerged from below decks and witnessed the Jupiter Adept lost in a dazzling light. He had to shield his eyes from the searing brightness as he watched the skies, apparently disturbed by Ivan's distress call for the heavens.

"What is that?" One of the fighters pointed to something somewhere up.

Garet saw it. Something was descending from the sky. "Is that Thor?"

The figure was bathed in a purple aura as it seemed to be riding on what looked like a hammer. It left behind a streak of lightning as the incoming godlike figure became more apparent to those who witnessed its arrival.

From the captain's deck, the captain himself was awed at the startling sight of the god descending to their aid. "The god of lightning and thunder," he muttered.

Thor descended from the skies to aid the one that had called it. As it neared the ship still tossed around in the waves, the lightning god leaped up from its hammer then raised a fist in the air. From where it clenched its fist, it conjured a brilliant lightning bolt for it apparently to throw down and land a fatal blow to the kraken.

But this wasn't the case. Thor summoned its hammer as the god hovered in the air. The Mjolnir arrived swiftly in the god's free hand. With a mighty swing, Thor joined together the hammer and the conjured lightning such that Thor was brandishing a fearsome lightning-infused hammer. With the completed imbuement, Thor lunged forward to meet the enemy its summoner wanted to strike.

Only the kraken could meet its own end as the other onlookers were awed in marvel at the display of the thundering god that came to their aid. But as the scene flourished on, Garet was extremely worried that Ivan might not survive the ordeal if he didn't control his spirit properly. Worse, if he failed to muster the courage, Ivan would lose all his energy and his plea for help would be all for naught – leaving the ship at the hands of the doom that was to submit to the kraken.

At a considerable distance, Thor stepped back and aimed its lightning hammer straight for the kraken. Everyone hoped that this would be the final blow for safety – for retribution for all the ships that had fallen and succumbed to the kraken's grasp. With one swift swing, Thor let go of its hammer as the Mjolnir trailed through the air with an incredible streak of lightning. Not even the wind or the rain could alter its path, and everyone knew that it was certain to hit.

With a deafening crash and a searing light, the only sound that muffled everything else was the roar of agony and incredible pain. It took everyone a few seconds to figure out that the kraken had been anguished from the surge of lightning that raged throughout its systems. The whiplashes were tossing around in the air but could not hit the ship that seemed to be somehow protected by a force field, possibly from the added effect brought about by Ivan's overwhelming burst of Psynergy. Nevertheless, the kraken, severely singed and shocked by the multiplied effect of the lightning, could not move after the massive damage.

The mystery only piled up. Everyone had been temporarily blinded by the impact of the lightning hammer that they could see where the Norse god had gone when they regained their vision. The effects however were beholding: slowly, pieces of the kraken started fluttering away like shattered glass. Eventually, more and more flew upwards to be carried away by the wind. What had been chaos in the prevailing moments then turned out to be tranquility, for everyone who witnessed and survived the moment could watch the end of a battle that they had fought for so long. As more of the kraken's pieces whisked away, the Jupiter Psynergy died out, leaving Ivan on the ground.

"Ivan!" Garet gasped as he rushed forward to help his friend. The near enraged tense situation the two had faced mere moments before the final call might have just been forgotten.

"Bring him in," came the captain's call. He had left his steering wheel for a moment to check on the situation. "Where are the healers?"

Then it hit Garet. "Mia… Isaac… Please be safe."

Somewhere underwater…

"What's going on?" Mia asked.

"I saw something bright flash in the distance," Isaac answered. He was a little cautious to tread on where it came from. Isaac wasn't sure if that was the ship that they went overboard from or if it was from something else.

"We have to go see," suggested Mia.

Even as the bathing glow of their Psynergy protected them from drowning, the two of them admitted that there was very little they could do.

"It's too far away," Isaac admitted. "Even if we were to surface and get tossed around, it'll be a long time before the storm settles."

The Mercury Adept sighed. "And even while our Psynergy can sustain us…"

"… Soon it won't."

"Must you be so pessimistic?"

"Hey," Isaac said defensively, "I'm only stating the reality."

Mia grumbled. "So you mean for us to die?"

"We won't die here, I assure you. We have to find a way."

Deep in the pit of his mind, Isaac felt the antithesis. Unless they could find something manageable and life-saving to do, their Psynergy barrier would eventually be exhausted and they would drown. First, he felt the urge to surface and deal with the waves – to let the still-unmerciful waters guide them around nowhere. But when Isaac propelled to the surface, something clicked in his mind.

That same music that told him to submerge earlier returned. "Do not surface."

"Did you hear that?" Isaac asked Mia.

"Hear what? I didn't hear anything."

Apparently, the music was speaking only to Isaac. "Go deeper."

Isaac almost flinched. At the disturbance, he had almost extinguished his Psynergy barrier. Refocusing himself, Isaac let the flow of Psynergy around himself and reenergize the Venus shield. But he could not contemplate with what the unknown music had just suggested… go deeper?

"Are you okay, Isaac?" he heard Mia ask though he didn't register the concern she displayed in her voice.

Isaac debated with himself whether to trust his instincts or follow the music's advice. He searched below only to look at a vast field of semi-darkness. They could not even see a trace of the bottom or any marine life that swam in their level. Was the music trying to save them or trying to lure them into danger? He hated dealing with split-second decisions when the balance of life was at the tip of a thread. What was worse was that he had to make the decision not only from himself but also for Mia. Then again, he led himself into it. And it was Mia who tried to rescue Isaac in the first place – only to be another victim of her own actions.

"Let's go deep," he said subconsciously.

This was met by a small outburst from the Mercury Adept. "Are you crazy? There's nothing down there!"

Isaac had to stop her ranting and said softly, "Trust me." With that, he gently took Mia's hand and led her deeper into the depths. "Concentrate on your Psynergy. Just be guided."

"O-Okay."

"Don't be afraid," Isaac told her, soothing her emotions and becalming every ounce of fear. He would soon come to acquaint himself with the music that only he could hear and that gave him advice on what to do.

"Deeper."

But how deep could it get? For a few minutes, the two of them went deeper to the abyssal depths and they could not even see any sign of marine life.

"How long will this take?" Mia asked.

"I'm not sure," Isaac answered truthfully.

That was when Mia grasped her hand away. "Isaac, please answer me. What are you trying to do?"

It was hard to explain. How could Isaac justify his actions based on a voice that only he could hear yet he could not even fully trust? How could he elucidate to Mia in such a way that he was not leading her to some certain doom that didn't need words to describe? How could he instill the trust he seeped in Mia, somehow deluded that Isaac had found some sort of method that would get themselves out of the mess?

"Mia, I…"

Isaac had to stop mid-sentence, not because he found it very hard to reason out but because he was certain he heard something else.

"Did you hear that?"

Still flustered, Mia demanded an explanation.

"Quiet, I can hear something."

Venus Adepts were known for their affiliations with nature's sounds. As such, Isaac had the sharpest senses (though not the most flexible reflexes as they belonged to the Jupiter Adepts). He was certain he had heard something out of the ordinary. He floated around in circles to listen better.

"What are you doing?" Mia hissed.

"Quiet," Isaac repeated. He let the silence fill around them. And that was when he heard it. It was a gurgling sputtering noise. "You heard that?"

"I heard it. What was that?"

"I don't know."

Was it something that came to rescue them? Or something that was at the end of a mindless path that the voice directed Isaac?

"Do you get the feeling that we're drawn deeper?" Mia asked him.

Isaac registered that question as he felt some power of gravity pulling him deeper. The deep-water pressures were starting to distort his thinking. Slowly, his body became heavy and he felt himself getting paralyzed. But that was not the continuation of the horror they were about to experience. Mia was experiencing the same kind of twisted sensation. No matter how hard he tried to focus himself, he could not prevail as the Psynergy barrier around them started to fade.

He tried to sputter out words, but he felt as if something chained was entangling his body, constricting his throat to keep him from focusing. He kicked around only in vain for there was nothing to struggle out from anything. The sparks of light showered in his field of vision as Isaac thought of the last things he wanted to say – but the cruel kind of torture could not even let him from doing so.

That was when something else happened. This time, the both of them were being forcefully sucked downward by deep-sea currents. Where it led them, they could not know as the two Adepts let out gurgled screams that no one else or nothing around could hear.

Sometime later…

"Wh-What happened?"

The Jupiter Adept sat up on a comfortable bed, but he still had the seasick feeling as if he was roused from a coma.

"Ivan, you're awake!" Garet exclaimed in relief. The Mars Adept stood up from his chair and embraced him. He let go quickly.

"What happened?" Ivan repeated.

"A lot of things happened," Garet answered. He could not find the right words to describe the scene.

"T-The kraken! Is it still…?"

Garet calmed Ivan down by placing his hands on the semi-conscious Adept's shoulders. "It's gone. We defeated it." He paused. "Actually… you defeated it."

Whether Ivan was trying to remember what happened or he was a little appalled that he might have done something didn't matter to Garet. The ship had been spared the kraken's wrath and the storm was about to pass. But it still stung Garet – even from where the most focused eyes could see the farthest or the edge of the horizon, no one caught a glimpse of anything that resembled Isaac and Mia. The firebrand still did not give up and he was certain that they were still alive. For him, it was some sort of an Adept thing.

"That was an incredible summon," Garet remarked as he brought Ivan a cup of warm Kalay herbal tea.

Ivan took a sip and nearly gagged from the awfully bitter taste. "I seem to remember something to that effect."

"That must have been your first time."

"Yeah," Ivan said wistfully. "I lost control sometime halfway and… it felt as if something just took over my body. I could not remember what happened afterwards."

Again for Garet, there were still more mysteries to solve.

"What happened to Isaac and Mia? Have they been found yet?"

Garet shook his head. "I'm certain they're still alive."

Ivan nodded slowly. "I'm certain too. It's probably the Psynergy that's flowing through us. If they're dead, we'd know right away even though they're very far away."

"Unless we could do something…"

Somewhere else…

There was nothing else to contemplate on, nothing else to think about. Yet, somehow, the fact that there was nothing only implied something. He could describe it or even visualize it – for there were no senses to move around. But was he still alive? He felt so. Even as his senses shut down, there was something at the back of his inner self – something that still desperately clung to whatever there was of his existence. Had his spirit whisked away? Maybe not. He may have entertained some fragment of hope.

Someone was calling his name. It was a whimper, a weakened cry. He tried to move around, certain that his life force wasn't extinguished yet. But he couldn't even lift a finger off the ground where he was lain. The sense of touch hadn't returned to him, or that he hadn't let his touch control him. But Isaac could smell something pungent – an indescribable smell that felt like the underground caves of Vault and Vale.

"Isaac!"

The sharp call registered his sense of touch. He was on a sandy ground as he could hear the soft lapping of waves on the share. The nerves in his body began to register the cool surroundings – yet with the absence of drifting winds. This began to feel strange.

He opened his eyes. Everything was blurry. Isaac expected some whitish blur to fill his eyes and half-expected some moment for him to shield his eyes from some possible sunlight but he could only see a bleak green surrounding. This was stranger than ever. When his vision sharpened, Isaac could make out what was above him – a ceiling of rock. If he were inside a cave, it could have been pitch-black or so, but looking at the strange formations of a cavernous ceiling made him think otherwise. The strange feeling only made him feel afraid as he suddenly spoke, not even confirming that Mia was somewhere nearby.

"Where are we?"

In the captain's deck…

"While you were fighting the kraken, Isaac and Mia were hurled overboard?" the captain clarified their story. He had been listening attentively to what happened in the fight with the kraken. He had also seen Thor's mighty strike and was also temporarily blinded when the hammer struck on impact. The captain shared his thought, "It seems to me that they might be far gone by now."

The captain had felt unusually calm for the whole time the Adepts and a brave band of fighters volunteered to face off against numerous sea monsters and the kraken. He had the primary responsibility of controlling the ship even in the middle of the storm and in the center of a leviathan brawl. When the mess was cleared (it took much men to hurl the last of the kraken's remains back to the sea, causing a huge splash much to the dismay of the oarsmen) and the storm settled a little, the captain called Garet and Ivan to the deck for some discussion. He was aware that two people – Isaac and Mia – had gone overboard while fighting the kraken.

"They're still alive," Garet countered with much conviction. "I don't know how, I don't know why… but, I just know."

"It's an Adept sort of thing," Ivan expounded. "We're accustomed to using our powers in battle but also as means of communication." It was easier for him than done for others especially that the Jupiter Adept could read the minds of anyone he comes close with. Without the knowledge of the captain, Ivan had delved into the captain's mind. While the captain was displaying some bravery and hope to bring the ship to Tolbi, Ivan knew that the captain was simply displaying a façade that masked his utter frustration of the ship's severe damage. Nevertheless, no matter what the captain thought, he was still determined to bring the ship and the terrified passengers to Tolbi.

"It's dangerous to launch a search-and-rescue," the captain said pensively. "Ever since that eruption, the animals across the Karagol have been restless. As you've seen, some of them have… mutated into horrid creatures."

"They'll manage it," Garet told Ivan. The Mars Adept meant Isaac and Mia. "They're much stronger than we think. We've all had our shares of combat throughout Angara."

"Did that kraken take other ships with it?" Ivan asked the captain.

The captain sighed, still not taking his eyes off the ship's course and not letting go of the steering wheel. "Before the kraken came, we usually had the timid giant squid that rarely surfaces. The lucky ones aboard ships would catch even just a fleeting glimpse of the elusive creature." As he narrated on, his tone became more depressing. "Those were the better times. The Karagol Sea was a gold mine for the fishermen and their livelihood. Tolbi and Kalay became wealthy cities because of the commerce produced by the fishermen."

Garet and Ivan could connect two-and-two together. "Until the volcanic eruption," Ivan muttered.

"Everything went downhill from there," continued the captain. "Fishermen were not getting adequate amounts of fish. The waters have gotten cooler. Marine life has been depleting. Until one evening when people in a fishing village awoke to the gurgling screams coming from the sea. According to them, one of the fishermen had gone out to sea to test his luck. But the disturbance was nothing normal."

"Could it have been the kraken?" Garet asked.

The captain shrugged. "We cannot know for sure. But since the massive eruption, we've been getting sights of a massive sea creature. A number of ships and lives have fallen to the grasp of it. The few lucky ones made it back to shore to narrate their near-death ordeal. That's how we learned later that it was the kraken that caused the vicious tragedies."

"But how do you know about the kraken, captain?" Ivan asked thoughtfully.

The captain gripped the steering wheel to show some tension. "There have been stories of famous sea monsters passed down in generations," he answered. The captain paused as if he was recalling something, but Ivan's mind reading showed that the captain might have had some hesitation in revealing something important. "My great grandfather, known as the legendary seafarer Raveneye, traveled far and wide throughout Weyard in pursuit of the mysterious Trefellgjen."

Garet did not understand. "Trefellgjen?"

He took a deep breath and exhaled mightily. "Trefellgjen was the pirate king who people thought was an immortal larger-than-life being that sailed around the sea to induce terror upon those who would dare challenge it. Everyone who set out in the seas feared his name, for he was known to have an army of sea creatures. Anyone who crossed his path would be left for dead – or be as good as dead."

"Your great grandfather pursued Trefellgjen even when he knew the kind of danger from encountering this pirate?" Ivan asked.

His tone was impassive. "Raveneye searched everywhere he could find – in every water space throughout Weyard… The last time he was heard from was after he disembarked from Tolbi. Nobody in the world then knew his whereabouts ever since."

Garet and Ivan exchanged grimaced looks. "So… after all this time, Raveneye is still wandering around the sea?" Garet inquired.

"I am inclined to think that Raveneye is still alive."

Ivan gasped. "A-Alive? How do you think so?"

Finally, the captain let go of the steering wheel and stepped back. He then sat down on a stool nearby him and just poured out some disturbances from his thoughts, which Ivan could sense even before the captain could open his mouth. There would be little problems for the ship, since the rowing crew would bring the ship on its course and the captain was certain that they wouldn't stray too far from the course.

"Sometimes at night, I can hear him wailing," the captain admitted, his voice hoarse. "I would be awakened in the middle of the night with his call of my name ringing in my ears."

"Have you known him?"

"Oh yes – I was still a wee tyke at that time," answered the captain. He rubbed the temple of his head to calm himself. "Even as Raveneye had passed his hundredth year, he was still well alive and kicking with the energy of a twenty year old. I do not know how."

Ivan took his cue to read the captain's mind. The captain was being truthful.

"By that time, he was still faring the seas and he was teaching me the littlest and grandest things of sea navigation." He turned his head to where he had placed his anchor trinket, his good luck charm. Even at this moment in the cruise, Garet and Ivan could not fathom how such a trinket protected the entire ship from "mortal" danger – the kraken being the gravest so far. "It was Raveneye who gave me that trinket – said it was a good luck charm. In all my years of sailing, I still put his words to good use."

Garet returned to the topic about Raveneye. "About Raveneye… you said you could hear his voice in your sleep."

The captain shut his eyes tightly and grasped his head with one hand. Garet and Ivan restrained themselves from making another word as they watched the captain try to deal with his own struggles. They felt unsure if they wanted to help the distressed captain or to pry more into the matter. The Adepts learned in their journey that acquiring new information about places could be a good source of learning new Psynergy that would help them overthrow the enemy they would face soon.

"Has anyone told you about Raveneye?" The captain asked. This was responded by two shaking heads. The captain sighed – unsure if he had to reveal the story to two of the youngest yet mightiest warriors he had ever met in his life. "As a seafarer, Raveneye was only after one thing: how to get rid of Trefellgjen, who was the most notorious pirate during that time. Trefellgjen must have heard about Raveneye's treasure-hunting exploits all for the sake of preserving his town – because when Trefellgjen attacked Raveneye's home in Asmna, in Southern Angara, the pirate killed his wife. Raveneye's children fled to safety. As revenge, Raveneye searched everywhere to seek out retribution against Trefellgjen."

Garet and Ivan were interested and immersed in the story that they sat down on the wooden floor like children about to be told a fascinating story by their mother.

The captain continued. "It took numerous years before he could find peace in himself and returned to Asmna, which was named Champa. We have never moved from Asmna since the raid. Upon his return, Raveneye spent a few days there – that was when he taught me about seafaring. When he sailed out to continue his pursuit, I thought it would be the last time I would hear from him."

"Where does the kraken fit in all this?" Ivan asked, seemingly more confused than fascinated.

The captain cleared his throat and allowed the suspense to settle. Only the repetitive beat of the drum and the steady rowing sounds of oars against the water could be heard in the silence in the captain's deck. "Raveneye had dealt with the kraken once before he returned to Asmna and described his exploits in great detail – giving him the moniker Raveneye."

"What was your great grandfather's real name?" Garet asked.

"Seymour," the captain answered. "He was known throughout Weyard as Raveneye as we spread his tales on his exploits."

The Adepts exchanged looks of amusement. Now it was understandable how the pun of the Raveneye name came about.

The captain shuddered. "A-Anyway. He claimed that he had bested the kraken in his one-man crew. How he did it, we'd never know. But his description of the kraken almost exactly matched the description of the kraken that you guys defeated. At least the Karagol is safe for now, thanks to you." He looked out of the window to make sure that the ship was still on course. Satisfied, he returned to his storytelling. "For many years as I grew up, his fame continued spreading across Weyard. Eventually, Trefellgjen started hunting Raveneye. Somewhere along the way, just as Raveneye made Trefellgjen his worst enemy, Trefellgjen did the same."

"It must have been from the worldwide alert that Trefellgjen sought out Raveneye for sea superiority," Ivan remarked.

"Raveneye was only out for revenge after Trefellgjen was slain. Trefellgjen, being the pirate he was, was after for sea superiority." The captain took a deep breath. "It took another ten years before the two of them would be locked in a glorious battle, known to this day as the Tainted Ocean."

"The Tainted Ocean?" quizzed Garet.

"It was right in this very sea," the captain continued. "Nobody could come up close, but those from Tolbi had seen Raveneye set out for sea to meet Trefellgjen, who was said to set up his base in the middle of the Karagol. What they saw was beyond their belief."

"Is this why you're sailing this ship in the middle of the Karagol, captain?" Ivan asked respectfully. "To search for whatever remained in that battle between the pirate and your great grandfather?"

"At some point, I nearly gave up – until I heard his cry in the middle of my sleep. I thought I had been dreaming, but his cry was something comparable to the vividness of the scenery that you brought out to bring down the fearsome kraken. Something tells me that Raveneye wants me to fulfill his mission."

Garet's eyebrows furrowed. "Mission? You mean to kill Trefellgjen?"

The captain sighed miserably. "Unfortunately, my old age does not allow me to wield a light blade properly. I feel as if Seymour is squabbling at me for my failure in this hypothetical mission."

Something was not adding up in the tale, Ivan thought. "How does the story of Raveneye and Trefellgjen aid us in searching for Isaac and Mia?"

The captain stood up from his stool to return to the steering wheel. "At the bottom of the sea is a strong current that draws and sucks all that have sunk to somewhere deeper. Chances are that current brings those into Trefellgjen's lair. I do not have the knowledge about Trefellgjen unless I can confirm that my great grandfather is still alive."

Garet almost lost his cool. "Y-You mean to say that they might be at the bottom of the sea?"

"You said earlier that you were certain for sure that they were still alive," the captain reminded.

The Mars Adept calmed down. "W-Well, I just can't digest how they would survive at the bottom of the sea. But… it's an Adept sort of thing. I believe they're still alive."

"How do you plan to find Raveneye?" Ivan asked.

He gripped the steering wheel as looked out into sea. Somewhere on the horizon was the top of a hill that signified that they were about to reach land – the crewmember stationed on the top of the mast had just roared, "Land ho!"

"We'll have to find some leads that can lead us to them – but I cannot just abandon my duties just because I've been called in the middle of the night." The captain was alerted by the crewmembers call for land. He saw the first patch of land on the horizon. "I'm guessing we've finally arrived in Tolbi."

Garet stepped forward past the trinket atop a large barrel and to the window. "The land's spread out," he said upon closer observation. "It's Tolbi all right!"

The captain smiled as he breathed in immense relief. Never had he commanded a ship that had faced a lot of danger throughout its voyages in the sea. It was up to him if he should retire for good upon making his supposed final arrival in Tolbi or continue the brazen passion he inherited from his great grandfather. He was more than expectant in looking forward for some serious repairs when the ship would dock at the port. But he was also worried that the passengers would lose their mental appetite for the upcoming Colosso. Hopefully, the ordeal with the kraken didn't delay them or produce any unwelcome setbacks.

The captain's deck door opened and Ouranos, one of the leaders of the fighters that raised arms against the kraken, stepped in. Even as he had fought the kraken, he still had to deal with his immeasurable disdain of sailing. "Captain, we've–"

But the captain told him off. "Arrived. Yes, we know."

Ouranos spotted Garet and Ivan and smiled as he nodded, signifying his immense gratitude of clearing out the life-threatening mess.

Over time as the mountainous horizon expanded to reveal a wide land array, the passengers were anxious to get off the ship and forget about everything that happened in the ordeal. The annual Colosso event would be held in a few days. Sean and Ouranos had been talking excitedly about the event and had revealed that they were going to enter in the competition.

Yet Garet and Ivan were anxious for a different reason. They still had no contact with Isaac and Mia though they could feel that the communication of Psynergy was still present, indicating that they were alive. But where were they?