Before you read, this is my first serious fanfic. I've written others before, but none of them had more than 6 chapters. I plan to finish this one, for I have a lot of ideas in my head. I know it's not that great, but I'm doing my best and I'm having fun writing it. I think I'm supposed to say this, I'm new around here but um… I do not own Golden Sun, all of it is owned by Nintendo and Camelot…. So yeah, this is just a fan work and is not official in any way.

Chapter 1: The Duel

Everything is happening so quickly. It seems like just yesterday I was a Squire of the Silver Sages. But now, the Leader? It's all going by so fast. I joined the Silver Sages merely to help uncover the legend of the blade. Rumor has it that when the four blades are collected, Alchemy is at the hands of the wielder of the blade. The Gaia Blade, holding the power of Venus. The Crimson Blade, holding the power of Mars. The Sky Blade, holding the power of Jupiter. The Aqua Blade, holding the power of Mercury. Each sword enhances the user's power of the element, granting new abilites. But what happens when they're brought to the Alchemy Sanctum? People say something wonderful will happen. I joined the Silver Sages merely to help uncover the legendary blade. Also, I wished to stop the Dark Paladins from gaining the power too. They are the rivals of us Silver Sages. They're up to no good. We gotta stop them. Now that I'm the leader, this means I must compete against Neil! The leader of the Dark Paladins, Neil, has amazing strength. On top of that, his henchman Dante, is always following him around. Us Silver Sages cannot allow the power of the four swords fall into the hands of Neil.

Auroch leaned against the cold, grimy wall of the eerie corridor. He bent his head and thought. The world was going by so fast, it seemed. Auroch was a hybrid of two elements, for his father was a Jupiter Adept, his mother a Mercury. His parents bestowed him with the energy of both. His blonde, spiked hair was a beautiful sight. His blue eyes were that of a sapphire blue. His arms were bound with muscles, his body trained in the art of fighting. At his side rest a wonderful sword. The hilt was blue, encrusted with amazing rubies and gems. The blade was made of pure silver, and it was a medium sized length. The tip was highly sharp, and if Auroch merely applied pressure with his fingertip on it his skin would be pierced. His clothes were similar to that of Alex, the former leader of the Silver Sages. Auroch donned a blue tunic, tied with a belt. His holder was attached to the belt, which housed his sword. His pants were that of the silver color, with black boots on his feet. Unlike Alex, however, Auroch did not wear a cape.

Auroch walked down the remaining length of the corridor. All that he could see was darkness ahead. He didn't even know why he was traveling down here. Maybe it was because he needed to be alone. Maybe he was searching for something. Maybe, he was just curious as to what was down the hallway. He pressed onward, the black void ahead slowly thinning. He walked slowly, because the ground was littered with debris and he did not want to trip and fall. His breath appeared in the air in front of him, it was quite cold below the headquarters. He had ventured into this area from a passageway he had discovered in his office. Never slowing, Auroch continued on.

He had reached the end of the path. A dirty, metal door was now in front of him. There was no window on the door. A rusty knob was at the right side. Auroch reached out his hand, and grasped the knob. The cold metal sent a chill through his body. He tentatively turned the knob, the creaking sound filled his ears ominously. Auroch swung the door opened and entered inside.

He found himself in an empty, circular room. This place still accompanied the cold temperature as the hallway had provided. The walls were made of bricks, and the floor was comprised of hard stones.

What the… is that… no… it can't be…

There was a man standing in the center of the room. He wore a long, black cloak with long, silver hair. Golden gauntlets were upon his hands. He held a long sword that surely held power.

"I see you've come… Auroch," the man said in a smooth voice. He raised his head, revealing the face of the mysterious figure.

"N-Neil?" Auroch trembled slightly as the words stumbled out of his mouth.

Neil smirked. "Yes. The leader of the Dark Paladins. I hear you're the leader of those Silver Sages, now that Alex has strangely gone missing."

"Yes… that's true. He just left without a trace," Auroch replied.

Neil approached Auroch at a slow pace. He held his long, strong sword at his side, his hands tightly gripping the handle. Auroch was more nervous than he looked.

I can't show weakness to a man like him…

Neil was right up to Auroch. The two had locked eyes with each other. Auroch's blue eyes stared into the ominous green eyes of Neil. All was silent. Auroch slowly moved his hand down to where his sword was held, and grasped hold of the blade.

"Auroch… how about a little sword duel, hmm? Let me test the power of the new leader of the Silver Sages," Neil said, with a strong tone in his voice.

"You're on," Auroch replied. He was ready to show the true power of the Silver Sages.

The two assumed their positions. They stood a good length apart from each other. Auroch drew his sword, and held it crossed in front of his body. He bent his knees and rocked slightly back and forth on the balls of his feet. He was concentrated on this battle.

Neil held his sword at his side and bent his knees. He stood flat footed and looked at Auroch. He didn't know exactly how strong the youth would be, but he figured he would most likely win.

Neil opened his mouth and let the words out. "Begin."

Auroch started off the fight with a bang. He valiantly dashed at Neil, holding his sword vertically next to his body. His elbows were slightly bent so the sword was held at an angle, hoping to add momentum to his swing as he struck. He reached a good length from Neil where he should attack, and Auroch brought his weapon back and lashed out. With lightning quick reflexes Neil parried with his sword. The clanging sound of metal on metal echoed in the surroundings, leaving a chill through both competitors. Neil spun to the side, twirling his sword in the process. He spun his body with his sword outstretched, hoping to lay down the hurt on Auroch. With amazing coordination, Auroch could sense the sound of the blade slicing through the air. He anticipated what would happen, and did a nimble backflip and soared over the menacing strike. He quickly attacked before Neil could react. Auroch struck Neil on the shoulder, leaving a large wound. He pulled out his blood-stained sword. The dark, red blood was drizzling down the polished silver blade. Neil let out a cry of pain, and dropped his sword to cover the wound with his other hand. He applied strong pressure to his cut, and pulled his hand away. The skin was damp with blood, and his clothing was soaked from the blood also. Luckily for Neil it was not his fencing shoulder that was injured. As Auroch went in for another stab, Neil evaded the attack and picked up his sword.

Auroch stood delayed in the position he was in, his blade stabbing through the air. Neil took this opportunity for a dirty hit. He charged at Auroch, and he held his sword at his side, but held it close to the ground. As he was a couple of feet ahead of Auroch, he unleashed his might. He swung the mighty sword diagonally in the opposite direction, slashing through the vulnerable tender backside of Auroch. Auroch screamed as he fell forward. His clothing was torn and the blood spurted through the air. He had a cut the entire diagonal length of his back. Auroch could feel the warm blood leaking down his sides. He dropped his sword; the metal hitting the cold stones created another echo.

He lay on the ground, defeated.