First of all, please forgive my lackluster summary. I have never been very skilled with the things. Now, pertaining to the story, with the announcement of Golden Sun: DS at E3 last month, I have been absolutely itching to get back to writing for Golden Sun. After whining and complaining about for God only knows how long, I finally got myself together and mapped out a basic idea for a plot. At the moment, I have no idea if this is actually going to work out or not, but if I've learned anything in these past two update-less years, it's that it's practically impossible to make any progress without getting feedback along the way! With that, please excuse my shameless rambling and enjoy the following.
Chapter 1: Calamity
It was hot, as one could expect for a summer day in Vale. Children splashed in the river's cooling waters, laughing and enjoying a world without worry. Isaac and Felix had returned months prior, and with them came an end to all the anxiety and uncertainty that had plagued the town during their absence. Thanks to the release of Alchemy, Weyard had entered an age of prosperity.
Vale, however, was still anything but prosperous. While the village had peace of mind, rebuilding each of the many houses that were leveled with the rise of the Golden Sun was no small feat, even for a town of Adepts, and it was projected that it would be years before the reconstruction was finally complete. A certain four Adepts, however, would not be disheartened by the gloomy prediction and worked every day as though it were their last.
Isaac swiped a hand across his brow as he exhaled. The heat made the exhausting job almost unbearable, but he refused to let his work suffer; the people of Vale were counting on him to ensure that they would have a place to sleep.
"Hey, Isaac!" The voice startled the addressed from his concentration, and he glanced down from his perch on the ladder to find Jenna looking up at him, a tall glass filled with water in her hand. "I know you've gotta be thirsty in heat like this!"
Isaac smiled in reply and made his way down, gratefully accepting the beverage he was offered. He pressed the cool glass against his face before raising it to his lips and drinking deeply of the chilled water. A laugh escaped Jenna as she watched.
"Jeez, Isaac, are you a fish or something? It's okay to drink it at a normal pace, you know. It's not like your shoddy framework here is going to go anywhere," she commented, gesturing to the beams of wood Isaac was fashioning into a wall.
"I know, I know," the boy conceded. "It's just so easy to get caught up in it. When we were on our journey, we always had a goal in mind, and we were always working at it. I guess the mentality just sort of stuck."
"Well, be careful about that." Jenna placed her hands on her hips and adopted a lecturing tone. "It's really hot out here, so you can't neglect your basic needs. Don't work so hard that you forget to take a break every and then. The last thing we need is one of our heroes going down from heatstroke."
Isaac waved off his friend's concern, but she would only leave once he promised to rest more frequently. She was right, after all; he wasn't taking proper care of himself. It was simply far too easy to become absorbed in his task. He had to work twice as hard anyway, he decided, to make up for his father's absence. Kyle's health had been a concern as of late, and both his wife and his son stood firmly against him when he brought up his desire to assist in rebuilding Vale.
The steady rhythm of the hammer striking against the wood joined the chorus of other similar noises as Isaac resumed his work. Kyle had been weak ever since returning from Prox—as Kraden had said, he should have perished after fighting as the Doom Dragon—but recently the man had begun to decline, as though the power of the Mars beacon that revived him was starting to fade from his body.
Mars and Venus may be close, Isaac considered, but when all is said and done, can earth ever be fully replenished by the power of fire?
The boy pushed such thoughts from his mind. Prox had seen to it that his father and Felix's parents were fully recovered before they had departed, so if Kyle was feeling ill, he had probably caught a cold. Isaac comforted himself as best he could with this notion, but he was prone to excessive worry. Until the man was completely healthy, the worst-case scenario would continue to haunt him.
Little more than an hour passed this way; Isaac's work kept his apprehensive thoughts at bay, but the afternoon sun made it difficult to ignore his growing thirst and fatigue. Somehow he found it in himself to take heed to Jenna's advice, and he stepped away from his carpentry to find a place to rest. Wearily he ambled towards the site where the town's sanctum once stood and found refuge in the shade cast by a nearby cliff. A few barrels of water were scattered about the area, likely placed there in hopes that the shadows would keep them at least a tiny bit cool, so Isaac quenched his thirst from them.
The boy leaned against the warm stones comprising the ledge behind him and gazed out over Vale. It was almost cruel, he mused, that a town that had existed in peace for so long should be met with such great misfortune. His eyes wandered absently to where Mt. Aleph formerly loomed. That was where everything had begun, so long ago. Isaac tilted himself away from the wall and started in the direction of the great mountain's rubble.
Three kids and a scholar, he recalled. That's all it takes to send the world spiraling off to its destruction…
His feet moved almost with a will of their own, guiding him towards the massive stones that remained in place of Mt. Aleph. Just because we wanted to see what was inside… Just because Saturos and Menardi… Isaac's trance-like recollections were cut short as he stumbled on the jagged edge of a rock and fell to the dusty earth. He lay there for a moment, his breath stolen from him by the fall, before gathering himself and rising. Glancing around, he found that he had somehow wound up much further out than he had realized.
"How did I wind up all the way out here…?" the boy wondered aloud, half amazed that he didn't trip sooner. Because the mountain simply split apart, Mt. Aleph's debris was perilous; the stones had not yet been weathered down to a safer shape. "Really weird… Why did I even come out here in the first place?" Isaac turned and started back towards Vale. If he was rested enough to go on what was practically a hiking expedition while half asleep, he was certainly rested enough to get back to work on the reconstruction. As he passed the remains of the sanctum, however, his progress was impeded by the approach of a particular redheaded Adept running towards him as quickly as his legs could carry him, as if he were immune to the sweltering summer heat.
"Isaac!" Garet called, waving his arm to better attract his friend's attention. "Isaac! We've got a problem!"
Exactly the words he didn't want to hear. Isaac moved to meet Garet; he was carrying himself with urgency, and his expression was grave. These things did not bode well.
"It's Vault." Garet spared himself only a brief moment to catch his breath before resuming his explanation, "We just got word that Vault's under attack."
A cold feeling washed over Isaac, stripping him of any other concern he might have had at the moment. Vault. That was where many of Vale's citizens were staying during the town's reconstruction. His parents were among them. The young hero immediately started for Vale's main gate, and Garet hurried to follow his friend. "It's just one monster," he clarified when he had finally caught up, "but apparently it's a freakishly strong one. The only Adepts in Vault are the ones from Vale, and the only folks from Vale that are in Vault are the sick and the elderly. You can imagine why they aren't holding out so well—"
"Garet." He turned to face his smaller companion. "Not the time for talking."
Isaac regretted the words the moment they passed his lips, but certainly Garet perceived that his brevity stemmed from his worry. The two were close enough to be brothers and had an almost telepathic understanding of one another. Telepathy, however, was not needed to see Isaac's desperation as he ran.
Vault was fairly nearby, so trip that lasted for eternity upon eternity in Isaac's mind really only took several minutes. The pair was met with the sound of frenzied screaming as the townspeople darted about, frantically seeking some manner of sanctuary. Vault's sanctum seemed to have been converted into a shelter of sorts; a small group stood at the doors, grabbing people as they passed and almost shoving them inside so that they would be protected.
"What the heck are they doing?!" Garet growled. "They had ought to be leaving town! If they all cram themselves into that place, then whatever's attacking them only has to destroy the sanctum and everyone will be killed all at once!"
"We can worry about teaching them proper evacuation procedures after we take out the monster," Isaac replied, all but ignoring his friend's words. He reached a hand to his back but was both horrified and mortified to find that he had left not only his scabbard but also his armor in Vale. Garet, who had not made the same error, eventually noticed the wild way Isaac was looking about himself and recognized what the problem was.
"What the— Jeez, Isaac! Did you seriously forget your sword and armor?! You're really off today, man!"
"That doesn't matter right now! I'm going to the weapons shop to pick up a couple things to use. Find the monster. You can signal me with Eruption." Disregarding his companion's following words, the Venus Adept made for the town's small armory to better equip himself for the battle to come. The selection was limited and of a low quality, but even a simple travel vest would serve him better than his light summer tunic. Suddenly the door frame was filled with a blinding crimson light; Isaac snatched up the nearest blade and nearly slipped in his haste to reach the source of the flash.
Outside, the makeshift bell tower that acted as the town's centerpiece collapsed as its supports gave way. The residual light of Garet's Eruption faded, a smog of dust and smoke obscuring the form of the creature that was the boy's target. His arm was still extended from the use of the psynergy, and his hand was slightly smoldering. Isaac called to the Adept to alert of him of his presence.
"I take it you found our monster, huh?" he assumed, twirling his newfound sword on his fingers to accustom himself to its weight. Garet nodded in assent.
"Yeah, but Isaac," an anxious silence punctuated his statement, "this thing just isn't right… I don't know what it is, but it definitely isn't normal." The smaller of the two opened his mouth to inquire further, but a stirring near the base of the fallen bell tower distracted him from his question.
A terrible monster pulled itself up from the wreckage. Its form was easily that of a dragon, but it was emaciated to a point at which it appeared undead. Its gaunt arms tapered into naught but bone past its elbows, and its hands consisted mostly of great, horrible claws. Its legs barely seemed able to support its slight weight, but the long, lean tail it possessed likely aided its balance. A pair of spindly wings that could scarcely be of any use for flight adorned its back, and its face was eerily humanlike and yet vastly otherworldly. Four terrible horns, two curled like a ram's and two pointed like a bull's, erupted from the sides of its frail skull. Its countenance was dark, and its pale eyes gleamed murderously as it grinned at its opponents with its toothy mouth.
"This is the thing we're fighting?" Isaac breathed as he studied the beast. "It looks like it'd fall over if the wind started blowing. Is this really the monster that all those people were so afraid—"
Without warning, the creature propelled itself forward at a speed which dizzied the eyes and wrapped its lanky hand around Garet's arm. Its grip was surprisingly strong, and it wasn't long before blood began to well up in the lacerations made by the monster's claws. Isaac regained his bearings and lunged forward, blade ready, to strike his foe, but it foresaw the attack and swatted the boy aside before he had the opportunity to become a threat. Garet used the distraction to wriggle away, holding an herb to his wounds to dull the pain and readied his Stellar Axe to strike.
Isaac hurled an Odyssey at their enemy, charging in at the psynergy's climax to deliver a blow from his own steel. His attack made contact, but to his great surprise, the beast's flesh was like stone, and the sword could do little to cleave it. Realizing the futility of his efforts, Isaac coerced the earth below his feet to erupt in a casting of Mother Gaia. The soil splintered apart and golden light shined forth; the Adept leapt backwards to avoid the coming explosion. The glow grew to an intensity that could match the sun, and with a mighty roar, a column of light burst forth from the ground, bringing with it massive rocks that had been ripped away from the rest of the land by the overwhelming force. The monster was consumed by the cataclysm, and a few breathless moments of anticipation passed while the two warriors waited to see the outcome.
The cloud of dust that had arisen as a result of the psynergy was suddenly illuminated by a blue light, and as the haze began to settle, the Adepts recognized that their foe was healing itself with psynergy.
"Look at that!" Garet exclaimed. "Isn't that Ply? I thought only Mercury Adepts could use Ply!"
Isaac had no time to fathom a reply; ice began to form around his ankles, and before his mind could register what was happening, it had reached his waist. Gathering himself, Isaac chipped at the frost as best he could with the hilt of his sword, but the creature was already upon him. The boy winced as its hand tightened on his throat. Garet attacked with all the psynergy he could muster, but none of it seemed to have any great effect. A number of gold-colored orbs materialized around Isaac, and their light drove the monster back. From each of the spheres appeared one of the Adept's nine Venus Djinn. Garet took their enemy's momentary relent as an opportunity to melt the ice that encased his friend.
"What's with your Djinn?" he said, raising an eyebrow curiously at the beings' abrupt appearance. They had spread into a circular formation in front of the boys and seemed to be acting as a shield to keep their adversary away.
"I'm not sure," Isaac replied. His felt around his neck to assess the damage; a simple Cure took care of the small cuts that had been made. "Maybe they decided to step in since I was in trouble." He brandished his sword threateningly, but the monster remained wary to approach. "Try attacking with your Djinn instead," the boy recommended. "It looks like it's afraid of them."
Voicing his understanding, Garet readied Scorch for an attack. The Mars Djinni propelled itself forward and struck with a fiery fury. It drew back, a scarlet aura encircling it to signify its prior use. The beast's body was noticeably charred, and this fact gave the Adepts new hope for victory. Immediately, Garet made use of Scorch in a Mars summon, and the monster screeched in the inferno that enveloped it. Isaac called forth the power of Ground to immobilize their foe, but a wave of trepidation rippled through the ranks of the small creatures. Not missing a beat, the Venus Adept chose to utilize Mud's abilities instead. He received a similar reaction; it was as though his Djinn were frightened and averse to entering the battle.
"Come on, Isaac!" Garet shouted impatiently. "There's only so much Mars can do against Mercury! You've got to back me up here!"
"I'm trying, but they won't respond," Isaac explained. He raised a hand to try and quiet the beings, but their enemy was at last advancing. The boy begged of Granite to lend him its protection against the attack to come. The Djinni, however, instead darted away, fleeing to the skies in a radiant blur. Before Garet could substitute for Granite with his own Flash, the beast lunged at Isaac and pinned him against a nearby stony wall. The Venus Adept's other eight Djinn flitted about in a frenzy; one by one they retreated until only Flint remained. Garet, meanwhile, was having similar trouble controlling his Mars Djinn. They were all deeply terrified of something, as though the true strength of their adversary had only just begun to shine.
Isaac failed to suppress a cry as his shoulder was pressed against the wall with such force that the rocks began to give way. Through half-opened eyes clouded with pain he met the gaze of the terrible monster that sought to take his life. He began to lose feeling in his arm, and his sword slipped out of his hand. Garet worked to do all within his power to force the beast to release his friend, but he could not get close enough to engage it directly, his Djinn remained uncooperative, and if he used psynergy, he risked the smaller warrior getting caught up in the attack.
Isaac's vision blurred, and he struggled less and less against the monster's hold. Darkness began to close in on his mind, illuminated only briefly by a golden light dimmed by his failing consciousness.
"I won't let you hurt my master!"
The small voice was the last thing Isaac perceived before he was lost to silence.
Please forgive me; I know that much of that was very forced, rushed, and mechanical. I'm desperately trying to get a handle on the flow I used to have back in my freshman year of high school. Until I can manage this, please bear with me, for this is bound to be a bumpy ride for a while yet.
Pertaining to the story itself, a cliffhanger is one of few ways I can motivate myself to pick up the next chapter, so do excuse that. I'm counting on the power of words to give me the spirit to pull through with this endeavor, so please do find it in your heart to leave a review! Meanwhile, I will do all within my power to commence writing on the second chapter; I hope that you all will look forward to it!