Disclaimer: Don't own Golden Sun, never have.
Warnings: Spoilers.
Blood, Felix/Karst pairing.
Written after an extreme overdose on the X anime (series, NOT movie).
Angsty, depressing, deals with the Agatio and Karst scene inside Mars Lighthouse.
Please review.
~~~~~
Fighting My Destiny
~~~~~
The sage's words hadn't stopped echoing inside her head since the day she had heard them.
"It's not true," she told herself. "It's not true, it can't be true. I wouldn't ever do such a thing. Felix wouldn't ever do such a thing. Ever."
She sat alone in the cold air of the night, gazing up at the sky.
Her mother had once said that to fight Fate was a dangerous thing. Menardi had said the same thing before she had gone off to light the beacons.
"But if Menardi had fought destiny, she'd still be alive now," Karst muttered. "If she had taken a different path than the one she was foretold to, things would be different. She would have lit all the beacons already and I wouldn't be here. We'd all be back home, happy together."
The sage had foreseen Menardi's death.
Karst gripped a small mythril bag in one hand. A glint of red light shone through the metal.
"But this . . . this is my task now."
The sage had also foreseen Felix's betrayal in order to save his friends. He had foreseen that Karst would not gain what she sought at Jupiter Lighthouse. He had predicted that after the Wind beacon was lit, Alex would leave them.
He had predicted it all, and it had all come true.
The sage of Prox had been rumored to know all things before a bitter epidemic had hit the village and killed him alongside many others. The sickness had hit just as Karst and Agatio left, and they had received word of the deaths while on the road.
But that wasn't important now. Infinitely more important were the words that the sage had said to her before they left.
"If Felix fought me," she said softly, "if he tried to stop me from igniting the Lighthouse flame . . . would I have to fight him? Would I even have a choice about it?"
She already knew the answer to that question. The law of Prox bid that traitors suffer death. And to save Prox itself, she wouldn't have a choice in the matter at all. She had taken an oath. To protect the land of Prox, to save it from falling off the brink of the world, and to fight all who opposed her.
All who opposed her. Every single one.
She untied the strap that bound her scythe against her back and stared at the weapon. She ran one finger down the length of the blade.
In the tower of flame, you will fall under the spell of the Dragon Star.
A thin line of blood smeared itself over the silver metal. She lifted her finger and gazed at it. A thin cut ran across her fingertip.
You will fight those who oppose you with Agatio by your side.
She put her finger into her mouth and tasted the blood that flowed from the cut. It was a bittersweet, salty taste, and her tongue recoiled from the liquid. But she still kept her finger there.
The battle will be long and hard, and the victor will pay a most horrible price.
She was glad Agatio was asleep. He always got worried when she was quiet, though she couldn't understand why. Surely she could be quiet once in a while. Everyone needed a chance to think every so often.
A small part of her didn't want to think about this. Didn't want to acknowledge the sage's words. Didn't want to think about what was supposed to happen deep within the walls of Mars Lighthouse.
But the other part of her couldn't stop thinking about it.
Everything the sage had ever predicted had come true. Everything.
It was often said that no one could escape destiny. That the wheel of Fate trapped you in it, ensnaring your free will. No matter what choices you made, the future remained distant and unchangeable.
She licked her lips clean of her own blood.
And she stood up and walked back to camp.
"Karst? Are you all right?"
"Oh, Agatio, you're up." Karst sighed. "I was just thinking."
"About what?" The bulky Proxan sat up.
"The sage told me something before he died. Something very important."
"Is that so?" Agatio ran a hand through his hair. "What was it, if you don't mind my asking?"
"It's not important. It just had to do with our quest to fire the Mars beacon."
Agatio doesn't need to know. He'd only worry. He probably wouldn't believe it any more than I do; he and Felix were close friends.
"Karst, you look worried."
She blinked. "What?"
"You look worried. Frightened." Agatio offered a hand to her. "Are you sure you don't want to tell me?"
She shook her head. "I'm sure, Agatio. This is something I don't think I can tell anyone."
He sighed. "If you're sure." He laid back down, keeping his eyes on her. "Tomorrow we'll arrive at the Lighthouse."
"Yes."
"Isaac and Felix, along with their friends, will probably be chasing us."
Karst wrapped her blanket around herself. "Yes."
"They may want to fight us."
It was getting hard to hold her hot tears in the back of her eyes, where they belonged. Warriors don't cry! she scolded herself. What would Menardi say if she saw you like this?
"Karst?"
She closed her eyes. "Yes, Agatio, they'll probably challenge us."
"And . . . what will we do, Karst?"
She did not answer.
Agatio sighed.
It was a long time before either of them fell asleep.
~~~
"It looks like a dead end," Agatio said, kicking a small rock out of frustration.
They had been through the Lighthouse three times already, but still had no idea of where they were supposed to go. Every time, they found themselves back in this room, where a large wall of ice blocked anything that might have been on the other side.
It was not making Karst a very happy person.
She pounded her fist against the ice wall that blocked their way. "Now what?"
There was a soft sound of chanting from somewhere above them. Agatio craned his neck to look toward the ceiling. "Who's there?"
You have not the strength of will to go on.
Karst made as if to grab her scythe, but found that her muscles wouldn't obey her command. She was frozen in her tracks, and out of the corner of her eye she saw Agatio struggling to fight whatever binding spell they were under.
There was a bright flash of light, like a star in the night sky.
You will fall under the spell of the Dragon Star.
Karst realized what was going on. She fought against the light. "No! No! I'll fight! I'll fight you! I'll fight this spell! I'll fight my destiny!"
The star became a large silver rock, with one piercing blue eye set into the stone. It gazed at Karst, and she felt like she was descending into a deep fog.
Her muscles bulged. There was a sense of something strong and powerful tearing from her back.
Without her commanding it, she saw one of her own hands raise into the air. It became a sharp talon, slashing down through the cold Lighthouse air.
Then she closed her eyes against the pain, and knew no more.
Until she suddenly awoke.
Her body was still moving on its own, without her commanding it. She caught glimpses of herself every now and again: gold scales, red claws, a long, lashing tail.
I'm . . . I've become a dragon . . .
She tried to look around but her head would not obey. A group of warriors stood before her, their weapons out and covered in blood.
A sudden bloodlust and hatred rose inside her. They're trying to destroy Prox! I have to fight them! I must destroy them! It is my duty!
A dragon identical to herself, only larger, lunged at the warriors. A tall blonde lifted his sword and struck, producing a massive cut on the second dragon's head.
She realized with sudden clarity that the second dragon was Agatio.
You will fight those who oppose you with Agatio by your side.
Then . . . the warriors had to be . . .
The battle will be long and hard, and the victor will pay a most horrible price.
Her dragon body continued to move on its own. Slashing claws, biting teeth, vicious swipes with the tail. Lunges, dodges, movements she had trained herself in as a warrior.
She wanted to stop. She wanted to stop so very badly. But she knew of the sage's words, and knew he had never been wrong. She also felt like she was somewhere very far away from the battle, watching as she body made movements she couldn't control.
Among the warriors, the blue-haired girl held out her hands, raising a wave of Psynergy to heal the warriors. The blonde swordsman stepped back, taking a break from the battle.
An already-bloodied brown-haired man took his place.
And as her dragon body lunged at him, she heard the words of the sage again.
You will win the battle and emerge unscathed.
The brown-haired man dodged repeatedly and called up a wave of golden energy from the depths of the earth. Her new body leapt back and let loose a rain of fiery breath upon the four warriors in the front ranks of their party.
The blue-haired girl swooned, falling to her knees and grasping at her staff for support. The blonde mage beside her, a boy no older than fifteen, pulled a tiny capsule of yellow liquid from his pouch and let the fluid drip into her mouth. The third of the four, a red-haired girl, threw a blue bottle to the ground, where it burst into a cloud of mist. When the mist had cleared, all of the warriors looked far better.
Felix raised his sword and leapt at her. Her body dodged again and raked her claws through the air. They struck, giving Felix a deep shoulder wound. He stabbed with his sword, but the dragon stopped the blade with its claws and let loose a Supernova.
Felix cried out in pain, pulling his sword away and leaping back among his comrades. The blue-haired girl was back on her feet, and she rushed over to Felix to examine his wound.
Karst's body breathed fire again, and Felix screamed in agony as the fire licked at his wound. The blue-haired girl summoned up a tiny fairy, which sprinkled healing water over Felix's wound. He didn't appear to be feeling much better, but he got back on his feet.
He was met by a Rising Dragon from Agatio. As he fell to the ground, cloaked in flames, Karst felt like she could cry.
But her body wouldn't obey and just kept fighting.
The blonde warrior, Isaac, stepped back into the front line and ran toward Agatio, sword out. Just when it appeared that he would strike physically, he raised his hand and called up a Psynergetic sword, which ran right through Agatio's chest.
Karst just watched. She watched Agatio attack Isaac. She watched the healers try to hold the party together. She watched herself fight and wound Felix. But she could do nothing to stop it.
You will win the battle and emerge unscathed, the sage's voice repeated.
She felt herself lunge, knocking the other warriors aside with her tail as she prepared to gouge Felix's insides with her claws.
The claws raised into the air, and Felix began to raise his sword. It was obvious that he wouldn't be able to strike in time. The wounds and constant battling had fatigued him to the point that his reaction time was much slower than it naturally was.
But in the process you will kill the one most dear to you.
The claws came down, aiming for Felix's heart.
Karst screamed.
NO!
The claws hesitated, and with an odd sort of satisfaction, Karst felt Felix's sword sinking into her chest.
I . . . I did it.
She sagged, and Felix withdrew his sword. Isaac, meanwhile, had finished off Agatio with a second casting of the Odyssey attack.
Their dragon forms melted away, flowing into the pools of blood that they laid in.
Karst looked up and watched as Felix dropped his sword and covered his face in horror.
"Felix?" she whispered.
"I . . . I . . ." he stammered. His eyes were getting very, very wet with tears. A smear of blood ran down the side of his cheek.
"Felix." Karst attempted to sit up. "It's not your fault . . . the eye did it, it told us we didn't have the power to go on."
"What happened?" Agatio murmured. "All I can remember is a fog . . . and fighting . . ."
"We were fighting you," Karst whispered. "All of you. I'm so sorry. So very sorry."
There was an odd feeling around her. It seemed that the air itself was biting into her shoulders with sharp, cold teeth. It felt almost like the cold air was opening her wounds further.
She shivered. "It's so cold . . ."
Agatio fumbled in his pack momentarily, pulling out a small mythril bag. "Take it," he whispered, shoving it toward Isaac. "Take it. Light the beacon for us."
The bag fell from his fingers, and Agatio collapsed.
"Felix," Karst whispered. "Felix." Her vision was swimming with red. She closed her eyes.
"Karst, I . . . I'm so sorry . . ."
She felt him take her hands, then lift her head and shoulders into his lap.
"Don't be sorry, Felix," she whispered. "This . . . this is what I wished for . . ."
"Why, Karst? Why? Why did you want to die?"
She opened her eyes again. "Your hands, Felix . . . they're so warm. I had forgotten . . . the warmth of human hands . . ."
"Karst!" Tears spilled over from Felix's eyes. "Karst, answer me! Why did you wish to die?"
She managed to raise a hand and put one finger to Felix's lips. "I did it, Felix. I fought against Fate. And I won."
"But . . ." He was struggling to speak. "But why?"
"I had to fight my destiny, Felix. And I did. For you. I want it this way. It's better this way."
The fog was overtaking her again. Her eyes were filled with tiny black dots that seemed to be getting larger by the instant, and it was so very cold.
"I love you," she whispered.
She closed her eyes.