"Precursor"

Prologue

Not much to say as far as author's notes go for this chapter, other than that this series will probably never be finished, and if it is, it likely won't be anytime soon. Yup, "series," as in, "there will be sequels." This is just part one in a multipart retelling - Wait! Don't run away yet! - of the Golden Sun games, albeit a somewhat darker retelling than you may typically find. It starts out long before the games even begin, should eventually go all the way until the Mt. Aleph storm that Golden Sun begins with, and then continues on to part two, followed by part 3, and so on and so forth. Oh, and did I mention that Precursor will eventually include the kiddies that grow up to be the main characters in the games? It doesn't go back far enough to put Piers in diapers, though. Sorry.

Piers: That is supposed to be a bad thing?

So, without further annoying delaying, on to the (incredibly short) prologue!

Disclaimer: After a few years of saying this over, and over, and over again, you'd think it would be pretty obvious by now that I don't own Golden Sun.

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Sol Sanctum. It was the pride and treasure of the mountain village known as Vale, even if the residents kept it hidden from the outside world. After ages upon ages of guarding the ancient temple, not many alive could remember the faintest reason for such secrecy, but guard it they did.

Weather is likely to change suddenly when on the open sea. On that day, the waters were nearly void of any signs of life, except for one small fishing boat and the two men on board.

The line of Great Healers told stories of a key to great power being hidden within the mountain, a power so great, so incredible, that the entire world would fall to the absolute mercy of whoever should unlock it. It could bring riches, strength, immortality – traits all too many men would willingly fight and kill for. If one of a strong heart and pure soul wielded this power, the land would prosper. If one with a weak heart or tainted soul should find it, however, all civilization would be led to ruin. For that reason, the key to the power was divided and sealed away, with the hope that it may never again be found.

"This does not look good," one of the men called to the other, pocketing his spyglass. "Thanks to that current, we've drifted too far from land. If only these clouds weren't so dense, then perhaps I could locate our position by the sun..."

"Don't worry, friend. After all we've been through, what harm can a little rain do?"

Perhaps there was more to the story, forever lost in time as it was passed from father to son, mother to daughter. However, the lesson remained: the power must not be unleashed. What Vale's elders did not realize, unfortunately, was that they were not the only ones chosen to guard such knowledge. The clans of old were divided as much as the key itself, slowing fading away with the memory of the power. It would take a chain of seemingly unrelated events before those of Vale would learn of their ignorance, and the outcome would be what legends are made of.

"By Sol, look! There are rocks coming from the water! We must be nearing land!"

As the rain pelted them, and the increasingly rough sea tossed their small vessel from side to side, the second man was less confident. However, before he could voice his thoughts, something else caught his attention. "Rogue wave! Hold on to something!"

If one were to try tracing the roots of the tale, some may say it began with a force commonly known as psychic energy, or "Psynergy," but that would be before the point. Others would say it began with Anemos, an ancient civilization that mysteriously disappeared into the sky, or the island of Lemuria when it was lost to the mysterious Sea of Time, but that would lead to too many loose ends. More yet would believe it all started with the construction of the four Elemental Lighthouses, and the confinement of the key. Perhaps it does start there, but searching for such information would lead a mortal person in circles.

"Lunpa! Are you alright?"

"Y-Yes, I believe I am." Taking the offered hand, the once noble thief of Weyard stood and took in his new surroundings. They were on a small patch of shore crowded with rocks, on what appeared to be an island entirely shrouded in mist.

"Babi, where are we?"

In the end, perhaps the best route to learning what happened would be to start right where the chain of known events is believed to have begun: with the betrayal of Lemuria.

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Yep, that would be it for the prologue. For once, though, I can honestly say what chapter one will include: Lemuria, Babi, Lunpa, Piers, Piers' family, and other… stuff. Sorry, all you Picard fans, but for the sake of sticking to the English versions of the GS games, everyone's favorite Lemurian is being called by his English version name. Also, le gasp, I might actually start letting swear words appear, but nothing that would take the story above the T rating. Ye have been warned.

Now for the usual spiel. Reviews are nice, pointing out any spelling or grammatical errors is good, and constructive criticism is great. Thanks for reading!