Alex
Part I
Strolling down the paths of Angara's trade routes normally would give people positive thoughts, thoughts on how wonderful life could be, and, on rare occassions, signs to guide lives. Had he passed this way prior to his adventure, he might have payed attention to the splendor of Angara's spring, of its warm climates, of its beauty unleashed.
Sadly, it was too late to be grasped by the tendrels of beauty, for she held another.
Alex tried to shake the thought from his head, unwilling to consider the pains of such thoughts. It was as though some parasite had entered his head, poking his brain whenever he thought of her, of what might have been. Oddly enough, he mused, such a parasite COULD be in his head. And it was the hardest parasite to shake loose - love.
Shaking his head as he traveled northernly, Alex mused over his existance in this expanse of life. Innocent in the early days, awakened from the peaceful slumber by the future destruction, and hated by all for trying to save the world, to let those who lived to salvage their lives from the changes and live peacefully.
Oh, if only every story had a happy ending.
Walking to the side of the road, Alex knelt by a tree, positioning himself to rest against the trunk of the mighty tree and under its great shade. The cool breeze soothed his aching soul, the shade cooling his sun-worn flesh. This was the closest he had come to the feeling of Imil since his visit to Imil to light the beacon.
Closing his eyes, Alex lost himself in his memories of the days long since ended, long since lost in the minds of the world. Ironically, when he was a child, he was not unlike the rest of Weyard, save perhaps possibly Tolbi, Prox, and Lemuria.
At an age before his mind began to remember, his parents had left him, though whether by choice, illness, or death, he did not know, and he did not really wish to find out. While part of him wished to know, another part of him, a much larger part, wished to stay with his new family, a man of fair age whom Alex called "Teacher," and a girl, slightly younger than him, who he called "Mia."
Those days were always full of fun and carefree thoughts, though the fun would be delayed by the lessons that Teacher tought from time to time. And even then, though their lessons were serious, they were fun and amusing. None of them worried about the distant future, no one worried about what might go wrong in time. Best of all, there was Mia, who always had a way to make him smile, be it the occasional flower or her innocent smile that she would give him.
By all rights, things should have been pleasant for years.
But all rights were nothing compared to the ulimate life-wreaker: Fate.
First was the death of Teacher, dying from injuries after he slid on a patch of dark ice. Both Mia and Alex had felt down afterwards, but both continued their mission to practice their healing techniques, as well as guard the Mercury Lighthouse. After a year, they felt confident enough to bring Megan and Justin under their wing, teaching them the teachings the Teacher had taught.
Then Fate attacked again, seeking not another life, but, rather, bringing life to them.
Alex and Mia had a daily walk around Imil, and on some occassions they would go beyond the edge of the village to look at old ruins towards the west. On that day, Mia had taken Megan and Justin on a trip to the Mercury Lighthouse, and wanted him to remain in the village, should something come up. And, of course, something did in the form of three travelers camped out in the ruins.
Finding them was actually an accident in and of itself. One of the three he found was using a white cloak to warm himself, and with snow scattered on his form, he blended in quite well with the ground. Tripping over him had come as a suprise, and Alex had falled to the ground face first.
Getting up was Alex's top priority when a massive hand grasped his form, yanking him upwards. Snow coating his face, Alex only saw a blur before him, but even with the movements caused by the hand holding his clothes, he could make out the outline of a person before him. Tall, yellow hair upon a pink face, with brilliant red clothes as his only means of identifying the stranger, until she spoke.
Before he could speak, he was thrown to the ground, upon a lumpy clod of the ground. Only, it was not the ground he landed upon, but the form that he had tripped on. Gathering himself, he heard a voice tell Alex to heal "Felix." Who or what Felix was, Alex was unsure, but after clearing his eyes and staring at the towering blue muscle man and the pink lady in red, Alex had a sick feeling that he had little choice.
Trying to clear the snow and dirt from the boy (he was far too young to be a man, possibly the same age as Alex himself was), and rolled him onto his back. Staring at "Felix's" face, Alex began to wonder what he had stumbled upon. Whereas the other two mystery visitors had pointed ears and garments built for the weather, the boy only had a blanket and soggy clothes. Alex wondered what kind of idiots would sentence someone to die like this, but focused on healing the wounded lad.
It took hours to heal him, and once he was done, the big blue stranger drew a massive blade, seeming to consider the benefits of slaying him right then and there. Alex was worried at that outcome - in fact, he worried not for himself, but Mia. If he left her like this...
Then the mysterious woman said something to the man, diverting his attention. Alex stared at them, unsure if he would be able to trust them at all. If they treated him as well as this poor man...
The sliding of blade against leather brough Alex's attention back to reality. The tall man had put his weapon away, grabbed Alex by the collar, and thrust him down against a rock. The man identified himself as Saturos, and his partner Menardi. They told Alex of their mission to revive the world, to obtain the elemental lighthouses's secrets, and the stars to light them. In order to do this, they needed "Adepts" to open the entrances to these towers.
Alex was ready to argue about what they were asking. To light the lighthouses? He was supposed to protect them! But Menardi told him of Prox's plight, of their impending doom if they did nothing. Worse yet, she told him of what would happen to Imil if they did nothing. Alex tried to swallow the information, but did not understand. Why were they in Imil, he asked, why were they in these ruins instead of the rooms at the inn?
Instead of the two "Proxians," the boy to Alex's left spoke. Turning to face him, Alex listend to his story. According to Felix, Saturos and Menardi (with Felix in tow, though that was learned later) were seeking to find a Mercury "Adept" to assist them in lighting the lighthouses. And, to Alex's suprise, the boy pleaded with him to assist them, for his parents sake. Puzzled by that story, Alex was told by Saturos of his comrades (of whom only one name he remembered - Karst) back at their boat, holding three people hostage while they were on this quest. If they could not find a willing "Adept," Felix's parents would suffer greatly, as would Felix.
Betraying the Mercury Clan was one horror Alex did not like, but with the end of the world being foretold, he began to question what he should do. The last bit of revelation had convinced him to assist them. Though it would take time to convince her, Alex fet that Mia would forgive him of this sin, as he would not allow innocents to survive these...barbarian's treatments any longer.
The Proxians agreed to let Alex spend one last night in Imil, provided that he not tell anyone of his quest. Not wishing to know how they would keep an eye on him, Alex met with Mia, telling her that he had a journey to go on. When she asked him why he would do such a thing, he simply told her that he was seeking his parents, to see if the rumor of them leaving were true.
Mia, understandably, was heartbroken, and wondered if it was something she did. Alex told her repeatedly that it was not her fault, and that he would return to her once his quest was done. As he left the building, he knew that he could leave Imil without hesitating now, as he had told her the truth - he would return once he was done.
A small patch in the tree's branches brought a ray of light down upon Alex's face, forcing his eyes open. It was not the brilliance of the light, but the sheer heat that the light radiated was unbearable. Ironic that the Proxians would continue to heat his temper as the sun of central Angara's summer did.
Shifting his form again, Alex thought to his only friend once he left Imil. Whenever they were out of earshot of the Proxians (which was not often, as their ears were suprisingly sensitive), Alex learned of Felix's past, of this..Vale from where he came. He learned of his family, and even met them, save for someone named Jenna. Felix described her in great detail, more than most would think a brother would do. Alex knew that Feix was recalling Jenna not for Alex's knowlege, but to remind himself of her.
Unbeknownst to Felix, Alex found himself curious about this girl. He did not know why, as he had never met her. Yet, as Felix described her, Alex felt as though he knew her. Polite, well mannered, friendly, playful. She sounded not unlike Mia, Alex had said, and as he said that name, Felix asked of her. Alex told him, not knowing what would happen years down the road.
They traveled from land to land, every so often returning to Prox to check on the situation. Alex found himself suprised each time they visited, as they viewed Vale as a horrid, evil city, wishing nothing more than the destruction of Prox. At first he had believed it, but talking with Felix and another Valean named Kyle had taught him differiently. Alex believed their version more than the Proxian, mostly due to his observations of four certain Proxians.
Eventually, the day came. They left for Vale, seeking to gain the stars needed to save the world, to allow his return to Imil and Mia.
The he saw Jenna. He did not know what it was, but she was beautiful! As gorgeous as she was when Felix described her, she was even more stunning in person. That is, until he watched her interact with her friends. Alex watched as she, Garet, and Isaac talked with a woman who had to be Dora, if Kyle's story was accurate. It might have just been his imagination, but all the simmilarities she had to Mia (outside of stunning looks) were no longer there. In addition, she and Isaac seemed to have some sort of bond, which reminded Alex of Mia.
Painful watching forced Alex to turn away. Cursing himself, he warped himself to where Saturos had told them to go. Arriving early, he stared at the vast sea of water, the four stars. It was quite stunning to witness the stars in front of him - the very essence of life, if Menardi's source was accurate.
The sound of air rushing suprised Alex, retreating by warping behind a massive central statue. As he stood on a small platform in an even smaller alcove, Alex listened to three voices, all of whom were familiar. A fourth voice appeared, much older and far more exited. As they talked, Alex began to wonder where Saturos and Menardi were, as well as what was holding them up.
Suddenly, he heard them appear, and listened as they grabbed Jenna and "Kraden." He considered appearing, but for now held his ground, listening to what was being said. He heard Saturos and Menardi's promise to release Jenna if they recieved the stars. Alex knew full well that this deal would not be honered as Isaac and Garet might have liked, as he had already learned the Proxian's love of tricking their foes.
Warping out, he grasped the stars from Garet, and recieved the brunt of his rage as he complained about the trick. Alex had little choice but to do Saturos's will, and took the stars to the central platform, handing them to Felix. As he did, he watched as Felix's face betrayed a hint of saddness, possibly from Jenna's reaction to his identity.
Alex was trying to think of something to say when the whole chamber was rocked by explosions. Unsure what was happening, Alex grabbed Jenna and Felix, pulling them from the bath of a falling pillar. Saturos and Menardi were too busy trying to hold their ground and keep Kraden from harm to be bothered with them, and Alex was tempted to flee with his two companions when the eye appeared. While many others marveled at it, Alex could not help but feel odd about its gaze. It was as though the massive rock was scanning him, testing his being for what he was. Or was that his mind playing tricks?
Abruptly, Saturos and Menardi began to discuss a fall-back plan. Trying to think of a solution, Alex accidentally mumbled it outloud, and remembered all-too late of the Proxian ears. Silently swearing, he explained his idea, enraging Felix, who eventually gave in to the reality of what was happening. As the others left, Alex turned to look in the direction Isaac and Garet had been before the tremor. He did not see them, but something told him that they were behind the statue, trying to guard themselves from the Eye. Pondering more thoughts outloud, he too warped off, to join up with Felix, Jenna, Kraden, and the Proxian warloards.
The journey did not take very long to head towards Imil as most would view it, but the time it took to try to earn Felix's trust back took an eternity. He was furious at Alex for his error, and was not about to let his old friend off the hook. Or, was not about to until Jenna convinced him to do so.
Darkness took Alex unaware as sleep claimed him...
Not a great way to close out, but this was a way for me to post this and allow myself to return to the Mercury Lighthouse and plan the rest of the story...
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MIKAA DOES NOT OWN GOLDEN SUN OR NINTENDO!
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