Disclaimer: I do not own the rights to Golden Sun and Golden Sun: The Lost Age. The characters, plotline, and settings are owned by Nintendo and Camelot Software Planning.
Golden Sun: The Untold Story
Chapter 1: Beginnings
He fell to the ground, sword lying uselessly by his side, hands bracing himself against the stone of the aerie. Two deep breaths drew in, and then gashes opened on his blue, scale-esque skin. Blood dripped onto the floor, staining the stone a crimson hue. Damn, they... The man's head rose, to see four teenagers. Teenagers! Those four... two lie on the ground, near-comatose, a man with spiked red hair sprawled next to a short teen with average-length pale-blond hair. A woman rested on her knees, turquoise robes in pieces, seeming to sway between reality and unconsciousness. The only man standing leaned on the sheath of his stone-designed sword, his crystal-blue eyes weary, yet relieved. Yellow, spiky hair was matted down with sweat and blood, and the man's long, gold-yellow scarf lay in tatters behind them. He learned the names of the four, both from Felix and Alex: Isaac, the determined leader and Venus Adept; Garet, the steadfast warrior and Mars Adept; Ivan, the psynergetic medium and Jupiter Adept; and finally Mia, the Imilian healer and Mercury Adept.
Isaac took a confident step forward—rejuvenated by the aura of the Venus beacon that radiated behind the fallen warrior. His lips parted as he began to speak, "Saturos, Menardi... this time, it is truly over. Surrender, please..."
Saturos looked at his comrade beside him. Menardi, her long, pale-yellow hair sheared during their combats, appeared to be a fallen reaper—pinkish face pale of color, scythe meters away, and clothes permeated with blood. Unlike her compatriot, she still stood. Following her example, the male Proxian pushed himself to his feet. Saturos smirked, maintaining his veneer of strength, yet he know a simple breeze would be enough to knock him to the ground. The Dragon transformation... failed... everything we strove for...
"How?" he began, his voice a raspy shadow of its former self, "Could we lose?"
As usual, Menardi seemed to channel a psychic link between them, as she continued his statement without hesitation, "We were better in every way, and yet..." She never finished her sentence. The duo already stood just on the edge of the well below the swirling Venus beacon. By some chance of fate... a light breeze flowed past. Simultaneously, the Proxians fell into the endless abyss.
Saturos glanced at Menardi. She returned his stare, her eyes weak, and pleading to know why. He knew the question... he pondered it himself as well. "Why did we fail?" they asked together, before the cold hand of death wrought them asunder.
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Four Years Ago
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The night served as a blessing to the Proxians... especially for a stealth operation such as this. Weyard was dying, the Mars Lighthouse near the frozen, collapsing ground of the iced-over Gaia falls. Their greater concern, however, was for Prox, only kilometers away from the abyss.
Climbing Mt. Aleph without alerting the citizens proved to be a challenge; cliff-faces, rock outcroppings, and sharp plateaus deterred their path. While the path leading to vale would be simpler, the risk of alerting Sol Sanctum's guardians would be tantamount to suicide, even for a team of ten well-trained Proxian warriors. At point, just outside the entrance, a man turned to face his companions. His cloak was navy blue, extending below his knees. Plate armor and gauntlets matched the hue of his skin and hair, a slightly lighter hue than his cloak. He wore blue-white pants, with boots that had armor plates on the front. A change in skin tone went around his chin and forehead, and his hair to stuck out over the right side of his face, partially blocking it from view. The trademark red eyes of Proxians glowed with a sense of duty... as their leader, he knew the implications would be deathly serious if they failed. The man carried a sword on his back, its sheath and hilt hidden by his cloak. All of them respected him... this group of warriors had trained for this mission for months, ever since the elders of Vale refused to even hear their emissary's words. Those old fools would not listen to the truth... they had become blind to the degeneration taking place in their world. So, this was their last hope. The tools for restoring Weyard lay in the heart of Mt. Aleph... which Vale guarded. During their brutal trials, he alone stood as the strongest and most capable; Saturos.
"Listen carefully... we do not have much time. This mission must be completed quickly... leave no trace that we were ever here. From what Puelle said, these 'guardians' have no idea of what lay in the depths of Sol Sanctum, so its size is unknown. However... we are here to save Prox. Warriors... forward!"
Saturos spun, charging into the heart of Mt. Aleph. He pushed the ornate door open, the glyphs on the wall depicting Sol and the life it brings. Nevertheless, the others followed close behind. Two rooms in, he stopped before a... moat? "What is this?" one of his comrades asked. "How do we get across this?!"
A woman stepped forward. She was recognized as the second-in-command, her strengths beaten only by Saturos. Menardi... the partner of this operation's leader. She had long, pale-yellow hair, contrasted by a cloak that was white on one side and red on the other. Maroon gauntlets matched the inside of her cloak, and offset her slightly pink skin. She wore a dress, oddly enough, which alternated between white and dark brown in a pattern of triangles. A dark pink chest piece with a golden emblem of the Fire Clan was her only armor. Similar color knee-high boots completed her wardrobe, matching the varying hues of pink and red on her face. Following Saturos's example, her scythe was hidden behind her cloak. "Look closely. Platforms, spaced across the water. That's how we cross..."
The male Proxian hesitated slightly, taking a step back. "Were the designers of this place sadistic?!"
Saturos barked a laugh while he raised his right arm. "Safeguards, obviously. Either way, we're not dealing with Mercury. Keep your hesitations to yourself." He threw his arm down, sending a blaze of fire soaring across the moat. It crashed into the wall on the opposite side, and the soldier smirked. "The right one." Without any misgivings, he jumped across to the platform on the right, following its path across. Menardi quickly followed suit, as did the remaining eight Proxians. Following the moat, they entered a decorated corridor, which twisted and turned, each change in direction also angling deeper into the mountain.
"Saturos, this seems too easy," one of the men in the column commented.
"I know... it's not right," he responded. "Stay on edge, all of you..."
They soon reached a second moat, and after Saturos's test, saw that all the paths lead to three separate corridors on the opposite side. Menardi shook her head in disgust. "Yes, more of this..." She turned to face her comrades. "We move in groups of three and four, crossing each side. Leave no area unexplored, understood?"
The others nodded in agreement, before separating into different groups. Saturos crossed along the right side, his two companions following closely. The passage led... to a dead end.
"What in Mars' name is this?!" one of them cried, seeing only a bull's head that was missing an eye.
"I have no idea," replied Saturos, his right hand clenching into a tight fist. "This is absurd..." He turned around, walking back the way we came. "We find the others... they will have some clues of what to do."
As they crossed back, the moat seemed to taunt them. You want us to fail, don't you, guardians... He hissed, jumping across the last platform. Ahead, he saw a small group of bats flying down at them. Monsters?! In their own sacred grounds?! He raised his left arm, face contorting into a mask of fury.
"Fireball," he stated with a tone of malice. A red glow flashed around him, as flames erupted from his body to fly towards the pests diving at his comrades. In an instant, the monsters disintegrated into flames, leaving ashes on the ground. He scoffed, turning around to watch for his returning Proxians. It was no surprise to see all the others retracing their own steps as well.
"Saturos... what do you think?" one of his comrades asked, annoyance evident in his words.
"This job is damn annoying. We trained to fight some demonic guard, and instead we have water and dead ends. Some legendary temple..."
Menardi was the first to return, carrying something in her right hand. "We found a dead end. The only thing there was this black gem in a chest. Nothing else." She rolled her eyes, stomping her foot on the stone.
Another crossed back on the left side, pointing back at the passageway he traversed. "A dead end. Nothing there... were the designers sadistic?"
Saturos felt his muscles tense up in anger. "We didn't come here to solve puzzles. There's some key to open this place, but I have no idea what we could possibly do..."
One of his comrades that crossed with him suddenly hit his right hand into his left. "That statue. That head we saw... must be part of it." He turned to Menardi, extending a hand. "Give me the stone. I think I know what this little puzzle is..."
She raised an eyebrow, but shrugged. "Fine, go ahead. I didn't want this thing anyway..." He nodded, and started across the moat. Saturos watched with an emotionless expression on his face.
"There are monsters in here as well..."
"Yeah, we found some as well. Luckily, they die with a simple tap. Don't waste your psynergy on them."
Remembering the swarm of bats, Saturos's expression darkened. "I'll keep that in mind..."
Another minute passed... and then a grating noise echoed through the chamber. The sound of stone rubbing against stone... it lasted for about ten seconds, and then vanished. "What was that?!" another Proxian asked.
"It came from the left... perhaps we should look over there?"
Saturos walked over to the area before the first platform on the left side. "Wait for him to return first... then we move."
Their other comrade crossed back over, a smirk on his face. "I heard a colossal noise once I placed that gem in that eyesocket. Should we see what happened?"
"That was exactly my intention..." Saturos muttered, jumping across to the first platform. They moved in silence, coming to the dead end. However, a pathway was opened in the stone.
"So... this is a puzzle-solving game, is it? Fine..." Menardi muttered. She walked through the opening first, followed by the others. Saturos took up the last position.
"By the elements..." he heard someone whisper. Saturos pushed through to the front, to see a massive shrine before them. "Is this... the heart of Sol Sanctum?"
Menardi strode forward, her eyes scanning the chamber. Statues of heroes long gone adorned the room, placed along the entrance and along the walls. "No. We know the Elemental Stars are kept in the heart of this place... so where are they? Not here... there is another hidden passage. Look around, there must be some kind of clue..."
They split into groups of two, each scanning the walls, the ground... yet no hint of another chamber showed. However, after ten minutes, success. "Everyone! Over here!" cried one of the Proxians, who stood at the right end of the room. A statue had been moved... revealing a hidden doorway. "This must be the path..."
"Very good, very good..." muttered Saturos, taking point once more. "Menardi, keep us covered," he ordered. She affirmed his command with a grunt. The ten filed into the next room, up a stairwell, and into another labyrinth. "Keh... these idiots like making things difficult, don't they..." he grumbled.
Menardi walked up to him, eyes narrow. "We do not have much time... split up. I believe a similar puzzle is the solution here..."
"Meaning?"
She smirked, drawing her scythe. The man who spoke took a step back out of fear. "Meaning look for another gem... and watch out for monsters. Over there," she pointed with her scythe. A small group of slime-like figures approached. The woman approached the monsters, a look of amusement on her face.
Saturos looked back at his comrades. "Go in groups of two... if you find a minotaur or bull head, find another pair. The same applies for a gem. Go!" The remaining eight soldiers left the two leaders there, as Saturos waited for his partner to finish up. As Menardi returned, twirling her scythe, the man narrowed his eyes. "That took longer than it should have..."
"I wanted to speak with you alone. Do you find this odd, Saturos? Why should a shrine with an entire village to protect it need a complex maze? This makes no sense..."
He shook his head, starting to walk alongside her. "On the contrary... Alchemy is rumored to be legendary in its terror. The designers would have made sure even its guardians would not know of its secrets... just like the Mars Lighthouse in Prox."
She sighed, a frustrated look on her pink face. "I don't care... as soon as we get the Elemental Stars, we must leave. We have already wasted an hour and a half searching..."
Two Hours Later
Menardi groaned loudly, hand clenched into a fist. How they figured out that the next puzzle needed the statues that were across a moat from them were hiding the passageways was beyond her... and the fact that it took two hours was humiliating. And then, they ended up in yet ANOTHER maze! Did the people of eras past have a fetish for labyrinths?! By the elements, it seemed like this mission would never end... this shrine-no, dungeon, just went on, and on, and on... their training involved of survival tests, proving oneself against the monsters of the Northern Reaches, and endurance challenges to ensure they could accomplish any trek over land... but puzzle solving?!
"Saturos! Menardi! Everyone!" came one of their comrade's cries. It was to the back and then right, she estimated. Moving at a normal speed, already bored of any further annoying 'find,' she showed no enthusiasm from this soldier's excitement. As she rounded the corner, her skepticism was shattered... a massive shrine to Sol, the Sun... radiating a golden light not from statues, but from the ground itself. In the center, a diagram of Sol was engraved into the stone. "We... found it... this area is the center of Sol Sanctum..." the man stated in awe, slowly walking forward into the center.
"Look, another corridor!" another man yelled, gesturing to another pathway. "What do you think?"
Saturos stepped out front, a smile finally showing on his face. "We continue... this is the center, not this room, but this entire area. This must be the housing place of the Elemental Stars..." he stated, confidently striding into the next room. Menardi followed, and then her heart stopped beating. Beauty... a room dedicated to Luna... the stone engravings from the previous room replaced by that of the crescent moon. The dim light of dusk glowed, coloring the Proxians a brilliant variety of colors. The most striking, however, was a phenomenon in the center of the room—what the Proxians called the Aurora... something that showed only in the Northern reaches.
"Magnificent..." she muttered, looking at her two female companions. They were also enamored by the vibrant display. "Karst would love this..."
Saturos glanced at her, a disapproving look on his face. "You know she was not ready. Her and Agatio, both prepared in terms of battle, but they could not endure the trials we faced to arrive here."
"That's true, Menardi..." verified one of the female warriors. "Karst has skill, yet your sister is not yet ready to leave Prox."
"Either way, we don't have time. We must continue," commanded their leader. Saturos beckoned them to another hallway one of the men stood nearby. They ascended the next stairwell, arriving in a room with four statues holding mirrors in their hands. In the center was a stone plate, with a picture of Luna in the middle. However, a moat crossed the room, the only path across being the plate of rock. On the other side... pillars. And a view of the sky... they were in a room exposed to the sky! She could see clouds... at their level altitude. "Well? What here?" Saturos asked, his arm starting to shake out of fury. His tone... Menardi felt her blood chill from the loathing conveyed by her partner in battle. The Proxian was not easily angered... Sol Sanctum had already taken its toll on him, and they were not even at the Crystal Stars!
One of the men walked over to the moat, his body language becoming tenser as they neared the water. His head turned back, a smug look on his face. "These statues are out of alignment... there are four pits where they should lay. If we move them back... the path to the Elemental Stars will open."
Menardi laughed, her face showing some joy... finally. "Brilliant! Yet, I believe there is more. If there are four statues, they must need to be moved at once, don't you agree? We have seen that nothing is that obvious here... this must be the last test."
Saturos nodded, smiling at his compatriot. "Very good thought, Menardi... three more join to move the statues. Once you are in position, wait for my order."
Two crossed the moat, hesitating as they jumped, but they took up positions at the opposite statues. After a few minutes... they were ready. Saturos raised his arm, and began the countdown.
"On three... One... Two..."
Menardi glanced to her left... and her heart stopped as she saw another room. Inside, four more statues stood, with another stone plate in the middle. Oh SHIIII-
"Three!" Saturos yelled, bringing down his arm. The four warriors pushed the statues into place, the light filtering in from the ceiling striking the mirrors. The plate glowed under their light, the engraving of Luna flickering away, becoming that of Sol. In a flash, the plate glow a violent golden-yellow hue, Sol taking the place of Luna. The colossal sound of thunder rang through the chamber, deafening the Proxians. The radiation from Sol's stone plate intensified, blinding the ten warriors as well.
A voice suddenly entered her mind... Those who desecrate the holy ground of Alchemy... vanish!
The thunderous sound faded away... and the light dimmed. It took Menardi a few seconds to recover her sight... and she instantly wished she had remained blind. Their four comrades that moved the statues were frozen. Not in the way that someone would stop moving... but encased in ice. It seemed to move, slowly stabbing into the Proxians' bodies... and then shattered in a veil of reflected light. The warriors were gone...
Saturos was the first to recover. "GET THE HELL OUT OF HERE!!!" he bellowed, turning on the spot, making a dash for the stairwell. Menardi followed suit, bolting after her compatriot. The loud cry of thunder blocked out her hearing, but the distinct sounds of a tempest brewing registered in her ears.
"Saturos! This place is going to kill us with it!"
"Shut up and run, Menardi!"
The two jumped down the stairwell, moving as fast as possible. Nothing seemed to register except for desperate escape. As the duo turned to the room of Luna, both froze in horror. Clouds of lightning shot down from the ceiling, each spinning around the center of the room. The stone engraving was not of Luna, nor of Sol... instead, the stone reflected the God of Thunder, Thor...
"CROSS THROUGH!!!" Saturos screamed, grabbing Menardi's hand and pulling her along with him. They passed through two streams... each drawing intense cries of pain from the two. However, that would not be enough to stop them. No more words were exchanged, the two easily passing through the intense heat from the Sol room. Each was designed after the four elements... Venus and Mercury would not be kind to them... unless they were the two rooms above. Nevertheless, they did not care. The sound of falling rocks registered in their ears, and Menardi turned her head to see massive boulders falling from the ceiling above. Venus's protection.
Damnit, this shrine intends to kill us on the spot! Menardi looked forward, vowing not to respond to those noises again. She followed Saturos, who changed direction according to markers the Proxians left in their earlier progress into the shrine. They leapt across the moat, after knocking the statue that now somehow blocked their path out of the way with a Supernova blast. Earlier thoughts of conserving they psynergy completely left their minds... now it was live or die. The water shot up at them, almost like tentacles, groping for their legs, to drag them under. Mercury's retaliation! Only a few seconds later, a cry registered in her ears—one of the warriors that managed to follow them fell victim... More boulders fell from above in the next labyrinth, causing Saturos to abandon conserving his own spells. He drew his broadsword, and glowing deep red, slashed across the fallen rock that hindered their path. Heat Flash... Saturos's own technique... The stone split in two, and Menardi drew her own scythe. They could take no chances. Saturos continued, Menardi close behind, each in survival mode, cutting through anything that dare get in their way. They came to the next stairwell, only this time, Menardi took the lead.
"Not going to waste time... Supernova!"
A massive blast erupted beneath her, blowing away entire sections of rock from the cylindrical stairwell. She braced herself before landing, and rolled immediately after she touched the ground. She heard Saturos follow suit, and the duo continued in their escape. The statues in the shrine came to life, brandishing their swords as the Proxians dashed through. However, Saturos and Menardi were not stupid enough to fall victim to so feeble a trap...
"Get out of my way!" Saturos yelled, "Inferno!!" a rain of fireballs erupted from his body as he ran, crashing into the statues. Two melted on the spot, while the other four were knocked to the ground. Menardi, following only a meter behind, quickly sprinted after him. Another scream registered in her ears... some of the statues had killed yet another of their comrades...
Menardi crashed into the other Fire Adept in the next room, grunting in fury. "Saturos, what the hell are you waiting for?!"
"The water... will envelop us," he stated, eyes narrow as he looked across the next moat. "Menardi... step back, I'm going to cast it..."
"Right," she responded, turning to cover them. She knew what he spoke of... the most powerful, yet most draining spell known to all Fire Adepts...
Saturos glowed crimson red, his sword erupting with flames. A ball started to form in his left hand, and only grew bigger as the Proxian put more and more energy into this spell. Then, it was ready. He thrust his left arm forward, the ball of flame flying into the center of the room. "PYROCLASM!!!" he screamed, and closed his left hand into a fist. Menardi turned around to see the spell erupt... Massive pillars of molten rock flowed from the small sphere of fire, filling the entire pool. After a few seconds, the flames vanished, leaving only stone and water vapor...
Saturos beckoned her to follow, and started his path across the now-empty pool. Menardi jumped after him, her sense of fear only escalating as she heard the sound of flesh being punctured behind her. She met up with Saturos on the other side, the two continuing across. They ran through the twisting hallway, Saturos cutting through any boulder that rolled down to crush them. They came to the next moat, and Saturos held his sword to the side, preparing to use pyroclasm once more.
"Stand aside... I'll handle this one..." Menardi stated. She brought her hands together, and an aura of flames formed around her. Her arms spread apart, a trail of flame inbetween. "Flare Storm!" she cried, sending the mass of fire across the top of the water. Unlike Saturos's spell, it did not vaporize the cursed material beneath, but covered it. "I can only keep this up for a minute... hurry!" she commanded, leaping across the platforms. Saturos followed suit, until they reached the other side. Menardi's spell vanished instantly, and Saturos pulled her away from the edge of the pool just as a tendril snaked out to pull her into the abyss.
"We're almost free!" he yelled, dragging her behind, eyes wild with hope as they reached the exit. The Proxian smashed through the gate, falling out of the sanctum into the night sky... or so he hoped. Instead of the peaceful night they experienced when they entered Sol Sanctum and what they saw in the heart of the shrine, a massive squall filled their ears. Sheets of rain slammed against them, almost taunting the Proxians. "That... damn... shrine..." he muttered, falling to his knees on the wet ground below.
Menardi slipped out of his grasp, and looked up into the storm. "We should move... one last trick is about to unfold..."
Saturos complied, looking in the same direciton as Menardi. His crimson eyes widened in horror... a solid sphere of rock, seemingly held in place... barely. He could tell it was psynergy keeping it aloft... unbeknownst to the citizens of Vale, they had saved the two Proxians from being crushed underneath. He pushed himself to his feet, cursing his own foolishness. "You're right, Menardi... run." The two dashed out, ignoring the path they used to arrive at Sol Sanctum's entrance. In this tempest, it would be suicide. They leapt across the grounds, dashing into the foliage. Never loosing sight of the other, they ran... until they heard the boulder fall. They both froze, turning their heads in unison to see the colossal beast of rock tear into the landscape...and into a house along the river as well. It did not occur to them they stood on a small ledge, exposed to one of the paths that Valeans traveled upon to get to the plaza...
He breathed a massive sigh of relief... finally, they knew they were safe. He turned to face Menardi, a look of failure in his eyes. "We lost... of the ten, only the two of us survived..."
Menardi put a hand to her head, the terror of the situation finally sinking in as the adrenaline faded away. "How... how could we have expected Sol Sanctum to unleash such... such... fury?"
Saturos shook his head, looking at the ground. "It is a miracle that even the two of us survived..."
"That switch was a trap... there was another room..." she muttered, a hollow feeling in her chest.
"Even if it was a trap, how could it create a storm like... THIS?!" Saturos pointed to the sky, as patterns of lightning formed as if responding to his challenge. Thunder reverberated through the air as a result.
"It... demonstrated the power of Alchemy... didn't it?" Menardi asked, almost hesitantly. While the warriors of Prox were trained to ignore their friend's deaths, the magnitude of this could not be ignored. Trying to change the subject at this state, even if it was the 'proper' protocol, it seemed like they were dishonoring their comrades.
Saturos scoffed, feeling the sting in his mind as well. "Next time... we can't fail..." he said, regret evident in his voice.
"Yes... the next challenge... we will succeed, in their memories..." Menardi agreed.
A new voice cried out... the voice of a young man in his early teens, at the stage where it still had not changed. "Isaac!!! Wait!!!" he yelled.
Saturos and Menardi's heads snapped down, realizing in horror that a boy around the same age looked up at them, horror in his crystal-blue eyes... he could not even make out a word.
"You were eavesdropping on us... weren't you?..." Saturos asked, already knowing the answer.
"N-no!!" the boy, Isaac, responded, stepping back. "I... wouldn't... you were..."
The other boy, his hair bright red with eyes a light shade of brown, run up to Isaac. "Isaac, Issac... you shouldn't talk to them... they look scary..."
"Garet, hush!"
Menardi jumped down, her scythe drawn. "You must forget everything you heard..."
Saturos quickly followed suit, not giving them a chance to respond. "We'll help you!" he shouted.
In response, Isaac pointed his wooden machete at them, fearful, but determination showed in his eyes. "Garet, you too."
"R-right!" the other boy responded, drawing his own weapon.
Menardi laughed, shaking her head at them. "You think you can stop us with those sticks?"
Isaac bellowed a war cry, dashing at her. She blocked his attack with her scythe, and kicked him to the ground. Garet received the same treatment from Saturos. "Enough. Fireball," the man stated, thrusting his left arm forward. A dozen spheres of flame shot out, and six each crashed into the boys, slamming them against the cliff-face.
Menardi glanced at him, smirking. "You spared them..."
"Two idiots like that do not deserve death..."
"It may come back to haunt us..."
He laughed, looking at her disparagingly. "These boys? No. Either way... we've caused enough pain here today. They don't need more..."
"Saturos..."
So this is what their deaths did to him... he cannot bring himself to kill them.
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They exited Vale without being seen by any others, through the torrents of rain and wind. After their encounter with those two boys, neither spoke a word. However, that changed when they saw four figures floating in the river leading from Vale...
"Saturos... are they..."
One, a middle-aged man with yellow-brown hair and dark blue eyes looked up at her voice. "P-please... help us!" he begged, holding onto a piece of wood along with three other people. One, a boy around the age of fifteen with dark brown hair was unconscious, supported by the two other people on their makeshift raft, a man and a woman. The man had light brown hair with a matching mustache; the woman with light red eyes and dark red hair.
"Menardi... they must be from Vale."
"It's our fault..."
Saturos bowed his head slightly. The other two adults were also unconscious. If they were, perhaps the man could swim over to them... but he appeared on the verge of passing out. "Menardi... we'll have to rescue them. The elders will understand, and... they might know something of Sol Sanctum."
She nodded, just as the man who spoke fell into unconsciousness. A small flame formed in her left hand, and then shot out into the river. "Firey Blast." The ball exploded, causing the raft to fall to the riverbed, while flames stopped the river from sucking the four under. "Saturos, move quickly. If we don't, we'll all drown."
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His eyes opened to the bright sun... and a throbbing headache. The boy groaned, shading his eyes from the harsh light. Only then did he start hacking, a painful cough tearing at his stomach... water spewing from his lips. This continued for a few moments... until he could finally breath properly. The boy turned onto his side, hoping the water would rest on the ground. The ground... in an instant he realized that he was not in his own bed. He sat up, suddenly, grimacing as a sharp pain halted him from moving any further, and then fell back. Whe... where am I...
"Felix... you're awake..." he heard his mother say. He could not see her, but...
"Son... I have some bad news," his father continued, "We... can't go back to Vale for a while..."
"W-what... about Jenna?..." Felix managed to ask, finding himself unable to move his legs. "What happened?..."
"You... almost drowned, Felix, and..." his mother began, only to stop speaking in terror as a figure stepped before him. Felix looked up to see a man with blue skin—blue skin?!
"You're coming with us. All four of you..." Saturos began, "We have a very important mission to accomplish, and you four are going to play crucial roles in our quest..."
"That's right, Saturos," came a female voice.
Not another blue person... this is too messed up already... hang on, four people? Felix turned his head to see Kyle standing next to a pink-colored woman, a look of sorrow in his eyes.
"This may be a blessing in disguise..." Menardi intoned, a smile starting to form on her face.
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Author's Notes:
Yep, the next fic is a Golden Sun fiction, but I guess not too many people are that surprised... *sweatdrop* I felt like telling something from the Proxian's point of view would be an interesting idea, besides, you never hear their side until the end of The Lost Age. That, and Saturos and Menardi are tragic figures, plus the element of Felix in there helps too.
I don't have a set plan for how this will run, but the next few chapters will deal with Prox, the duo learning about the Lighthouses and Sol Sanctum, Felix's training, and meeting Alex. Plus... the Rift. This is all going to be from Saturos, Menardi, and Felix's point of views. And yeah, Isaac's not going to have the Link syndrome in this fic... only in games. Seriously, he has dialogue in The Lost Age, so he'd better have some here. I might do a Lost Age fic from Isaac's point of view, starting with the departure from Lalivero. Obviously, not as action-filled, but mainly character development. I am also assuming that from the 2nd breaking into Sol Sanctum and getting the Elemental Stars, a year passes until the battle at Venus Lighthouse.
There's not much else to say... obviously there will be hints of Felix/Sheba once the Jupiter adept shows up, because that pairing is as close to canon as anything else in this game. *nervous laugh* Don't kill me fanboys... please?
As always, constructive criticism is very welcome!