Disclaimer: Everything Golden Sun is all Nintendo's. I own nothing Golden Sun related (except two little cartridges that have consumed my life recently).
Author's Note: Hello, everyone. This is my first fanfic, a simple novelization. Hope you enjoy, and please read and review.
Jenna sat up quickly, panting. Her temples throbbed with the memory of that day, three years ago. In a fit of anger, she threw her covers off the bed and sat, alone, on her bed. Alone, just as she had been for three years now.
Well, not quite alone. Isaac and Garet had always been there, helping to steady her. Isaac especially understood part of what she had been through, since his father had been lost in the same storm that claimed Jenna's family. But Jenna knew from talking with him that something else had happened to Isaac that day. The haunted look in his eyes held more than just the pain of a lost loved one. They held something… deeper…
Sighing, Jenna got up from her bed and padded out through the ruined wall to the dock. The chill night air penetrated the loose nightgown she was wearing, causing an involuntary shiver. She glanced at herself in the calm water of the river, so much calmer than it had been three years ago. Her dark auburn hair fell in front of her dark brown eyes, spilling down to the small of her back. Jenna felt she was a pretty girl, with a fiery disposition to match the fire in her eyes. That fire, however, had been somewhat dimmed these past three years.
"Gods, why can't I forget it? They're never coming back…" Jenna mumbled aloud.
Jenna gave herself a mental slap. Thinking about the past wasn't going to change anything. The past was just that: past. She had to concentrate on the present and future. With determination in her step, she wheeled from the dock and reentered the house. She glanced at the bed, then deciding sleep was futile, wandered into the kitchen. She had to get a good breakfast for the big day today.
As she grabbed some bread from the cupboard, Jenna idly wondered what Kraden was going to teach them on Mt. Aleph. This trip was to be the next big step in their Psynergy training. Isaac and Garet had been studying Psynergy diligently ever since the accident three years ago, and Jenna had joined them, more to fill the void that had opened in her life than anything else. During their studies, Isaac, Garet, and Jenna had become very close friends, along with their teacher, Kraden. Kraden had arrived from Tolbi about two months after the accident, wanting to study Mt. Aleph as part of his research on Alchemy, that long forgotten power that had lain hidden for centuries. Jenna herself knew very little about the mysteries of Alchemy, but Kraden had taught her and the two boys the basics of Psynergy: the four elements and how to focus them. Jenna thought it was very ironic that no matter how hard the two boys tried, she was more Psynergetically gifted than her friends. They were more physically able, of course, but she loved to rub her talent in Garet's face. After two years of intense training, Kraden had obtained permission for them to explore Mt. Aleph, provided that they didn't enter the sacred Sol Sanctum that lay within the mountain.
Psynergy was actually the only thing in Jenna's life that was moving somewhere. Everything else had become limp, tasteless… similar to this bread, Jenna thought, scrunching her nose in distaste. She tossed the bread on the counter and held her hand over it. Soon, the bread lay lightly toasted. Jenna took a bite, then smiled. Yes, there were advantages to being a Mars Adept.
Jenna finished her toast and glanced out the window at the rising sun. She had better get dressed soon. She had promised Isaac she would meet him early in the morning, and she didn't want to look like she'd been up half the night.
* * * * * *
Focus.
Visualize.
Concentrate. And…
"Hyaaah!" Garet screamed.
Slowly, the upright log moved along the ground. Garet smiled, but continued to push, testing the limits of his Psynergy, when a voice interrupted his concentration.
"Still training, huh, Garet?" the female voice inquired.
Garet turned to face his friend Jenna, sweat beading his strong face. "Oh, I'm almost done."
"Good," Jenna said, "because it's almost time to leave. I came to get you first because Isaac is still mending his roof after the storm last night."
Garet ran a hand through his spiky reddish-brown hair. He was a large boy with a muscular build and a temper almost quicker than Jenna's. He knew Jenna had been on edge recently, so he tried to choose his next words carefully.
"Isaac works hard."
Jenna looked at him curiously. "You both work hard… harder than you should."
Garet turned away from Jenna's gaze and picked up the log he trained with. "Yeah," he grunted noncommittally, trudging towards the storage shed.
Jenna was silent for a while, then said, "What happened to you two?"
Garet put the log in its place outside the shed and replied without turning, "What do you mean?"
"What happened to you two on that day… three years ago?" When Garet failed to reply, Jenna tapped her foot testily. "You and Isaac have been working yourselves to the bone, ever since the accident. Something must have happened. I can see it in you, I can see it in Isaac."
Garet turned. "Jenna…" he started, then trailed off as words failed him.
"Look, I appreciate your concern, but my family… is gone. And so is Isaac's father," she said, turning her back on him.
"Jenna, why are you mad at me?"
Jenna had crossed her arms over her chest. After a moment's silence, she said, "I just wish everyone would forget that day. Nothing's bringing them back."
Garet shifted his weight uncomfortably. No matter how hard he tried, he always managed to irritate her. "Jenna…"
"We're late," she interrupted, moving to leave the yard.
"Jenna…"
She whirled on him. "Are you coming or not? 'Cause I'll leave you behind."
Garet started to say something, then just nodded. Jenna continued out of the yard. Garet shook his head as he gathered up his equipment. That girl's temper was hotter than her Psynergy was.
* * * * * *
"Are you done yet?"
Isaac looked up from the thatching he was mending. "I've still got a few gaps left, but I should be done soon, mother."
Isaac's mother, Dora, gave her son an appreciative smile. "Good. Keep at it."
Isaac finished the thatching he was working on, then ran a hand through his unkempt blond hair. His blue eyes narrowed as he counted two gaps left in the roof. The storm had done some serious damage. He had been patching holes all morning, and he was almost certain Jenna was becoming impatient with him. They were due to climb Mt. Aleph today and learn about the sacred Sol Sanctum, and he was stuck patching a roof? Well, the only thing to do was to do the job quickly. Isaac concentrated, and levitated some new thatching over to the next gap. He inserted the thatching, then held his hands over the patch. As he concentrated, the old strands of thatching wove themselves into the new strands, so that when he was finished there was no evidence that there had ever been a hole.
Isaac clambered over to the next gap, his wiry build moving quickly and lightly across the delicate thatching. He brushed some of his hair out of his eyes as he concentrated on the next gap. His hair never cooperated with him; unruly tended to be an understatement. He had finally given up on it, and just left it where it fell in the mornings. Isaac had inherited his messy hair from his father. His father, who was gone now…
Isaac shook his head as he completed the last patch. He still couldn't shake the feeling that if he had been stronger, his father would have survived. Everyone would have survived. He had gone for help as soon as the boulder broke loose, but they had found him and Garet unconscious after the storm. No matter how hard he tried, he couldn't remember what had happened to them. One thing he was sure of: because they had failed, everyone had died. Jenna's family… and his father.
"Good." His mother's pronouncement brought Isaac out of his thoughts and back to the present. He watched as she paced back and forth along the roof, examining his work.
"You patched it quite nicely," his mother continued, glancing over at him. "You're just like your father was at that age: dependable, hardworking…"
She trailed off as Isaac lowered his gaze.
"You still think about him, don't you, Isaac?" his mother asked softly.
"Yeah," Isaac nodded slowly.
"Isaac," Dora sighed, "I was devastated when Kyle died. But I got through my grief, because you were there. I still have you, Isaac, and that means more to me than anything else."
Isaac looked at his mother, then wordlessly gave her a hug.
"Ahem."
Isaac turned with a start to see Jenna giving him an apologetic look from the top of the ladder. He subconsciously brushed at his eyes before speaking.
"Sorry I'm late, Jenna."
"It's alright, I had to go get lazy back here," she replied. "Good morning, ma'am."
"Good morning, Jenna."
Jenna moved out of the way as Garet climbed up onto the roof. "I resent that lazy comment, you know."
Jenna flashed him an innocent smirk as Isaac smiled in spite of himself. Those two were always bickering.
"So where are you children off to today?" Isaac's mother asked, alleviating the tension.
"We're going to climb Mount Aleph today, ma'am," Jenna answered.
"Please, call me Dora, dear." Isaac's mother shook her head. "You kids and your games…"
"Mom, this isn't a game," Isaac interjected. "It's part of our Psynergy studies."
"Honestly, you children work so hard on your studies," Dora said, frowning at Isaac. "Your mother would rather see you grow up to be a happy, ordinary man."
Isaac shifted uneasily and glanced at his friends.
"But I suppose you're still going to go," she continued.
"You bet we are!" Garet exclaimed, stepping forward. "We're going to learn all-"
Suddenly, Garet's leg plunged through the thatching, all the way up to his knee. A look of shock passed over his face as his skin reddened to match his hair. Jenna and Isaac burst out laughing while Dora gave a small shake of her head.
"I'm sorry, ma'am!" Garet said, struggling to free himself. But as soon as he managed to extract his leg from the roof, his other leg fell through with a crash.
Jenna's laughter redoubled as Isaac moved to steady his friend. Once he was steady on his feet again, Garet apologized profusely. "I'm really very sorry, ma'am… I'll patch it up real good!"
"Don't worry about it, Garet," Isaac's mother said. "You three should probably get going."
Isaac gave his mother a questioning glance as Jenna's laughter subsided.
"This old house is going to fall apart if you stay much longer," she said with a twinkle in her eye.
Isaac smiled at his mother as Garet climbed gingerly over to the ladder and down.
"Thank you, ma- I mean, Dora," Jenna said as she climbed down also.
Isaac met his friends at the bottom of the ladder and they walked through their hometown, Vale. It was a bright spring morning, and puppies were out playing in the paths. It was a wonderful day for a hike.
"My goodness, Garet," Jenna said, grinning mischievously, "you are such a klutz!"
"So I got a little excited," Garet countered defensively. "It could have happened to anyone.
"Yeah," Isaac cut in, "but you should have seen the look on your face when you went through the roof."
The trio burst out in laughter as they crossed the bridge over the river and headed towards Kraden's cottage.
"I wonder what we'll find on Mount Aleph," Jenna ventured.
"It's probably just a boring old mountain," Garet yawned. "I want to know what's inside Sol Sanctum. It must be important if the elders have sealed it off."
"It's probably some insanely powerful weapon that only I can use," Isaac declared, whirling about to pose in front of his friends, drawing an imaginary sword from its imagined resting place.
"That's our fearless leader, having delusions of grandeur again," Garet said, rolling his eyes.
"Yeah, just because you're the only Venus Adept doesn't make you better than us Mars Adepts," Jenna challenged, punching Isaac in the arm.
"I never claimed to be the leader," Isaac countered, continuing along the wooded path. "I just said Venus Adepts get the coolest swords. Remember the legendary Sol Blade?"
Jenna rolled her eyes. "Yeah, I think I remember from the last hundred times you've mentioned it, Isaac."
Isaac ignored her. "The Sol Blade, a weapon for an Earth Adept, with the all the power of Sol contained within its steel," he trailed off.
Garet smacked him in the back of the head. "Snap out of it, dude. That blade has been lost for centuries, and you certainly aren't going to find it."
Isaac glared back at him. He was about to retort when Jenna interrupted.
"Shhh! Can't you guys hear that?"
Isaac looked at Jenna, but something in her expression and the tone of her voice told him to be quiet. Soon, he could hear low voices discussing something.
"They know almost nothing about Sol Sanctum," a male voice said wonderingly.
"The elders of Vale must have forbidden entrance to all, even Kraden," a female voice answered. A brief pause followed, then she continued, "Kraden… do you think we can use him?"
Isaac listened to the conversation with a growing sense of dread… and familiarity. Why did the voices sound so familiar?
"Kraden knows much," the male voice continued thoughtfully. "We can use him."
The female voice laughed, sending chills down Isaac's spine. He knew that laugh. But from where?
"However, he's more stubborn that we expected… and cunning as well," the male voice countered.
"If he fails to cooperate, we could always-" the female voice started, then cut short. Before Isaac could make a move, a man and a woman rounded the corner and confronted them. Suddenly, Isaac's memory became clear… and he wished it hadn't.
* * * * * *
As the strange people stopped in front of them, Jenna heard Isaac quickly suck in his breath. She could understand his surprise. The man had blue hair that just matched the hue of his skin. He was powerfully built, and had a large sword sheathed across his back. The woman next to him was equally startling, with a nest of blond hair framing a pale face with reddish markings on the cheeks. All in all, it was a frightening tableau, and the menacing looks on the strangers' faces put Jenna on the defensive.
"What are you doing here?" the man demanded.
"What are we doing here?" Garet countered indignantly. Jenna winced internally. Garet's big mouth could get them all into a lot of trouble. She glanced sideways at Isaac, who seemed frozen in shock.
"Were you eavesdropping on our conversation?" the woman asked angrily. When she got no response, she took a menacing step forward. "Answer me!"
Suddenly, Isaac seemed to snap out of his trance. "No," he said in a strange voice, "we were just going to meet with Kraden."
The blue man looked sharply at Isaac, and Jenna felt the Venus Adept tense up next to her. "Kraden's engagement is with you?"
Jenna didn't appreciate the prying of these strangers. "That's right," she entered emphatically, "we're off to see him right now. And if you don't mind, we're a little late."
"You think your appointment is more important than our own?" the woman spat incredulously.
"Well then," the man interjected calmly, "go." He smiled, and immediately Jenna wished he hadn't.
"You're letting us go?" Isaac asked.
The woman cast a sharp glance at her companion. "Saturos, are you certain?"
"We mustn't delay these children any longer, Menardi. Come," the man, Saturos, said. He turned and walked away. Menardi gave the trio a withering glare, then followed Saturos as he left.
Jenna watched them go, then glanced at Isaac. His gaze was transfixed on the spot where Saturos and Menardi had just been. "Isaac, are you alright?"