Unbroken Brotherhood
"I don't understand why it happened, it just seems so wrong that you're gone." This thought expressed out loud by the gold-scarved adept that stood amidst the field of graves, eyes boring into the words etched on the cold, stone, slab jutting out of the ground. "You were the one that always saw the good in the worst of situations, you could make us all laugh when it all seemed hopeless." Rain fell from the grey cloudy sky, heaven itself seeming to mourn along with the young, blond-haired man.
"Why was it you? You weren't supposed to go, it should have been me there, I should have been the one to leave." He said this all out loud to himself, as if expecting an answer from his friend, but none came. In the silence, formed a small tear, creeping it's way from his sad, blue, eyes, sliding off his cheek and falling to the ground.
"I remember that day. And to think, it was only a week ago. I still expect you to come running up to my door, trying to drag me over to psynergy training. and every day I have to force myself to remember that you aren't here anymore. What were you thinking? Why did you have to do that? Now you've gone and left me here without a brother. Cause that's what you were to me...you were my brother."
The wind howled fiercely amidst the aerie of the Mars Lighthouse. The Wise One, the very being responsible for the world, had just appeared before us and called us traitors. He challenged us, declaring that only if we could defeat some miracle could we pass on and light the lighthouse. And we accepted. As Garet put it, we were expected to be brave, not sane. Thunder roared and lightning flashed, as if cracks threatening to split apart the very sky itself. Ice pounded down, like fists of divine retribution for our traitorous actions. Out of this hailstorm, a shadow appeared, seeming to dwarf the entire Mars lighthouse. It hovered there for the longest time, and then settled down onto the lighthouse. It was a terrible, three-headed dragon, so fearsome as to make the Fusion Dragon look more like an unfriendly canary. I felt a tremble of fear creep it's way up my spine, but I forced it away. I wasn't going to let fear overcome me, not after we had traveled all this way and fought this much. We couldn't lose...and yet, I did lose...I lost my best friend.
Garet stepped up to my side, the serious determined look on his face a sharp contrast to his normal, humorous, carefree, expression. He and I drew our swords in unison, and from behind me and to my sides I felt, more than heard, my other companions drawing their weapons. "This is it Isaac." I heard Garet say. "This is what we've all been working towards." I felt myself nodding and my determination hardening, All my friends were right there with me, Ivan, Sheba, Felix, Piers, Garet, Jenna, and Mia, we were all going to be fighting together. As I drew my sword, the creature let out a monstrous roar, and the battle began.
Seven minutes later, things weren't looking so great. Ivan and Sheba were down, and Felix and I were hard-pressed in order to get to them to revive them, and Dew had already been used to pick Jenna back up off the floor. Fortunately, Garet managed to struggle to his feet after taking the brunt of a Cruel Ruin attack as he so gracefully called it, part of me had to wonder why he was so obsessed with naming everything, and managed to rush over to help us. By some fluke, his sword finally decided to help him out by unleashing a Purgatory attack at the same time my Sol Blade unleashed Meggido. With all that power, we definitely drew it's attention, and it gave Felix time to get over and start reviving Sheba and Ivan while Garet, Jenna, and I distracted it.
Two Oddyseys, four Cycle Beams, and a Pyroclasm later, I felt the power of the Sol blade ready to be unleashed again, and I released Meggido. It was far more powerful than I had thought it would be however, and trust me, with the Sol blade, that's high praise. There have been times in battle where a blue, psynergetic, fire would run up my sword whenever I was in trouble, even though I myself never consciously tapped into my psynergy reserves. Ivan theorized this was similar to our experience with the shields in Kolima, as it seemed everyone had done it at one time or another, and if Garet called it a 'Critical Hit' one more time I think I might have thrown him off the tower. Well it happened in tandem with Meggido, and the fireball that erupted from the sword was a brilliant blue flame instead, so incredibly powerful it incinerated one of the dragon's heads right there on the spot, and greatly weakened one of the others, which also incinerated with a well-timed Searing beam and Liquefier from Jenna and Garet in tandem.
"What in the name of all that is holy...?" I heard said in awe. To this day, I am not quite sure who said that, and for all I know, I did.
The creature roared in pain, and I knew we were only a step away from victory. And in my confidence...I got clumsy. I began putting my djinn to standby for a final, last-ditch summons against the beast, and as I prepared to unleash it, the creature glared at me. A burst of yellow energy erupted from my feet, and I felt drained as I realized the creature had stolen the energy from all of my djinn, something I'd only seen Dullahan do before. I felt all of my strength leave me, and fell to one knee. I had used up so much psynergy, I hadn't realized that my djinn were the only thing keeping me going. I had been clumsy and weakened myself to the point where I couldn't even move. It raised it's maw, a Cruel Ruin attack charging, I couldn't dodge, couldn't shield myself with psynergy, this was the end for me, and just as it launched the attack...Garet moved in the way.
"Garet...you clumsy fool...why did you do that?!" I said this to myself over and over again as he fell to the floor. I was so numb, that I hardly noticed Jenna and Mia finally manage to set aside each others differences and work together, destroying the creature with an Iris summons. I ran over to Garet, and with the last vestiges of my strength, began to cast Revive...nothing happened. I tried again and again in vain, and it was only when I unleashed Quartz and he told me the terrible truth, that I finally realized that Garet was dead, to far gone for psynergy or djinn to bring him back. I can't even remember what happened after that, all I knew was I felt as if I had lost everything when Piers regretfully told me, that he was unable to save my father as well. Of course, my father survived...but it appears that what miracle was there came too late for Garet. I think that if Felix hadn't been right by my side as he led me away from the Lighthouse, I probably would have never left, just stood there, numb and grieving. We saved the world, and I'd have given it all away to have my best friend back. But I wouldn't spit on my friend by reversing all that he had fought, and yes, even died for. I know you wouldn't want that Garet.
"To think...that was only a week ago. And now, here we are, back in Vale. Sheba and Ivan are going to stay with Master Hama, and Mia and Piers went to Imil. So here we are, Me, Felix, Jenna...I remember when we used to play together...before the incident that started this all...and now...it just seems so empty...for all of us...now that you're gone...You were my best friend, I remember you saying how you'd fight by my side to the end. And you did. To the very end. I couldn't have possibly asked for a better friend than you Garet." Isaac said as he sighed.
"You said you always wanted to try this on, and I never gave you the chance. Well, here...until we meet again my friend." The sad young adept said, placing something on the tombstone. Smiling lightly, knowing that he'd see his friend someday, he walked away from the graveyard. A graveyard of memories.
The sun rose the next day, and people went about their business as usual. Isaac and Felix helped by training people who had volunteered for the militia, due to the increasing monster sightings around town, and Jenna spent much of her time with Dora when Isaac was out. Garet seemed little more than a memory to the rest of Vale. Only a select few people would visit his tombstone daily, to read,
"Rest in Peace,
Garet Sylvis,
Son of Gredan and Joan Sylvis.
Hero, and friend of all,.
You will be in our hearts always."
And on that stone, fluttering in the wind, rested a well-made, golden scarf. A symbol of the brotherhood that Isaac and Garet shared, and would always share. No hardship in life could separate their friendship, and nothing as weak as death could possibly break their bond either.