Golden Sun Redux: Venus Lighthouse Chapter, Part 4



"That's it then," Saturos reported. "You can go now, Felix. We'll take it from here." He walked in a slow circle around the lighthouse well, staring into depths appraisingly. After a full round, he looked up again. "You're still here."

"I won't leave without Sheba," Felix replied, and didn't move. Sheba stood -understandably terrified- at his side, holding onto Felix's green cloak.

"Did we say she couldn't leave?" asked Menardi, attempting in vain to straighten out some of the knots in her masses of yellow hair.

"You mean I can take her with me?" asked Felix, surprised.

"No, I was just pointing out that we hadn't said so yet. Saturos, you really should catch these things sooner. Is it ready to be lit, yet?"

"I won't leave Sheba here where she could get hurt, Menardi. She is my responsibility!"

"Yes, it's a bit strange that you've decided that. You really should get going to Jenna and Kraden at Idejima. Alex hates waiting- he tends to take it out on people around him." Saturos was studying the statues of the Venus Sages now, tapping the ever-vital leaves of the branches they held.

"You're scum, Saturos," Felix snarled.

"Watch yourself, boy!" growled Saturos, and he began drawing Mars Psynergy into his hand. The air sparked with the promise of conflagration.

"Hold it right there!" All four of the Adepts spun to see where this command had come from, and even Sheba found herself focusing offensive Psynergy before she saw who it was.

"Hold it right there..." Garet muttered. "We've been climbing this lighthouse for about eight decades and the best you could manage was 'hold it right there'?"

"Shut up, Garet," Isaac said amiably. He tossed the Gaia Blade into the air, where it spun three times, gleamed in the sunlight, and fell back into his hand. "Menardi, hand over the Elemental Stars or I will beat you into molé. Unless of course Saturos has them, in which case just switch the names around. And either way, let Sheba go."

"You didn't really think this part through, did you?"

"Shut *up*, Garet," Isaac hissed through a confident smile. Saturos and Menardi exchanged a look, and then both turned to Felix and Sheba. Isaac began tapping his foot impatiently.

"Sheba," called Menardi, sweet as a sugar cobra, "these Adepts here have a rod of power. Could you tell us if it's the one for Jupiter Lighthouse?" Sheba, trembling, opened her mouth but couldn't manage to speak. "NOW!"

"Stop yelling at her!" commanded Felix. "Isaac, this doesn't concern you. You should leave."

"Not yet he shouldn't. Sheba, you know what we mean. Is it the one?" asked Saturos.

"I think so," Sheba managed. "It feels like the right one."

"Then everything is just fine. Isaac, do you know what I want to ensure Sheba's safety?" asked Saturos.

"A new hairstylist?" suggested Isaac.

"The Shaman's Rod," Ivan realised. "I didn't understand before, but of course- the Rod opens the way to Jupiter Lighthouse, doesn't it? It must have belonged to those Adepts that brought me to Hammet. No wonder he left me to get it back in Vault..."

"Yes, yes, all very revelatory. Now get on with it. Which is more important to you: protecting Sheba or keeping us out of Jupiter Lighthouse?" Saturos smiled, a sight equivalent to several hours of water torture or a hot coal dropped down the back of your shirt.

"Your call, Ivan," Isaac whispered. The air was thick as loam with tension.

"If it means saving Sheba, I guess I don't have much of a choice," Ivan admitted. He drew out the Shaman's Rod, which was vibrating slightly in the presence of so much Venus Psynergy.

"Go get it, Felix," Menardi ordered, nodding in the direction of the Rod. He began to protest, but Menardi cut him off. "To prove your loyalty. And no, we don't already trust you, considering how often you defy us. Do it!"

Felix lashed out an arm angrily, and from it a ghostly hand was projected. The Catch Psynergy grasped the Shaman's Rod and pulled it back to Felix, who had been glaring at Menardi the entire time.

"Now, take Sheba to Idejima and meet up with Alex," Saturos commanded. "We'll follow."

"What?!" demanded Mia and Felix in unison.

"You said you would let her go," Mia continued, angrily.

"You're letting me go?" asked Felix, surprised.

"Of course not and of course, respectively," said Saturos. "I said she would be safe. But Sheba's fate would hardly be certain alone at the top of the Venus Lighthouse. So she will go with Felix, safely."

"What do you mean, 'alone'?" asked Isaac, defiantly. "She would have us to - oh, hell."

"How succinct. Yes, I have no intention of letting you four go free, in any case. Felix, get moving!" snapped Saturos. Felix started turning toward the platform, but turned back immediately.

"No. I can't let you face them alone."

"Do you mean you want to help us, or you want to protect them? Surely it would disturb you to see your childhood friends perish?" Menardi grinned humourlessly, like a lurking snake. Felix was silent for several moments.

"You shouldn't have done this, Isaac. I won't interfere at all in this battle, for or against you. At least for now you can be certain that Sheba is safe, whatever happens to you." Felix turned and walked down from the platform, one arm protectively hanging on to Sheba.

"I suppose, then," Saturos commented, "that it's time for battle." With an almost melodic hiss, he drew an elegant long sabre from its sheath. Menardi's own scimitar was far less pleasant, reddened as though it had been forged until it bled. "As a courtesy to a lesser opponent, you may make the first move."

"Saturos," said Isaac, as the others drew their weapons, "I'm almost going to enjoy making you regret ever saying that."

He looked to the other Adepts- his allies, his friends. This would be a terrible battle, but not one of them would ever choose to stand by in safety and watch such a thing happen as what these two planned. Isaac looked back to their opponents, and stared straight into Saturos' eyes.

"Unleash the fury of the Djinn!"

"Unleash Fever!" called Garet, and leapt forward. The Mars Djinni focused his power on Garet's Blessed Mace, turning it into a flaming metal comet. Saturos' sabre didn't even appear to move- it was simply in position, clashing against the mace's shaft.

"Unleash Gust!" yelled Ivan, and the Jupiter Djinni appeared. It slashed at Menardi with a concentrated blast of wind, which she twisted and dodged. Ivan came around with the second stroke, his Zodiac Staff singing through the air.

"Unleash Sleet!" shouted Mia, and from her Mercury Djinni a torrent of snow rained forth, drenching their opponents. Both buckled in the onslaught, but stood mostly unharmed when it ended.

"Oh, now you're getting personal," Menardi growled. "Inferno!"

"Flare Storm!" echoed Saturos, and his own Mars Psynergy burst forth. As tremendous fireballs swept through the air and crashed into the Lighthouse' surface, vast gouts of flame dashed along the air currents. The very atmosphere was like an oven.

"Unleash Breeze!" From Ivan the Djinni rose, wrapping the Adepts in soothing pockets of air. It was some protection against the searing flames, and Isaac took the opportunity to take a charge at Saturos.

"Mad Blast!" Saturos raised a hand toward Isaac and detonated a charge of Psynergy. Isaac flew backwards, rolling over and landing in a crouch. He heard 'Unleash Fizz!' and felt the scorching pain fade as he was healed. Standing fully, he found Mia beside him.

"Thanks," Isaac gasped, rubbing his formerly blasted chest. "Stay back and work on healing, will you? I don't want to see you get hurt." The obvious meaning behind his words reverberated in Isaac's mind like thunder, but Mia didn't seem to notice in the middle of battle.

"Hell no?" she suggested, and hefted the Crystal Rod. Sighing, Isaac followed her back into the fray. Just as they got within striking range of their opponents, Saturos and Menardi leapt back from the melee, and spoke the words that focused their Psynergy: 'Eruption!' The Aerie exploded like a minefield, launching the Adepts in all directions.

"You okay, Garet?" called Isaac, coughing and wheezing in the sulphurous air.

"Starting to get bitchy, Isaac."

"I know what you mean.

"Unleash Forge!" Isaac knew that he and the others had picked up a lot of battle experience throughout their adventure, but whatever training Saturos had still blew them away. What Isaac expected to be a perfect slash missed by just a millimetre when he pulled back, and the time it took for Isaac to withdraw the blade was enough for Saturos to deal a bone-shaking strike against Isaac's Dragon Scales.

"Unleash Mist!" Ivan was the fastest on his feet in the group, and he knew that, but Menardi was putting his skills to the test. He swung the Zodiac Staff around and clipped Menardi around the head, but a flicker of motion later Ivan was clutching at a shallow stab in his shoulder. Rolling sideways away from the scimitar he tried to trip her up, but Menardi's next hit was with the pommel and Ivan had to fight just to stay conscious.

"Unleash Zephyr!" Mia wasn't a fighter by nature, she knew. But what Saturos and Menardi planned to do could not be allowed, and so she had been forced to do battle. And Hermes help her, she enjoyed it. This wasn't some hidden virus, these were great big concentrations of cruelty that were a lot easier to find, and it was immensely satisfying to jab the end of the Crystal Rod into Saturos stomach and see his eyes bug out like that.

"Unleash Corona!" Protected by a glowing shield Garet struck at Menardi, and was disappointed to find that she wasn't there any more. Ivan rolled past, his robe smoking from some flaming attack, and Garet shook his head. Warding off Menardi with a backhand, he heard the Blessed Mace howl and begin to glitter. Bright yellow sparks rained off it as he healed Ivan, who stood again and, with an acknowledging nod for the aid, took another swing at Menardi.

"Unleash Smog!" Isaac had been, with his spare nanoseconds, trying to keep an eye on the battle with Menardi. He was surprised to see, as Ivan rose from a severe smackdown, Menardi look puzzled by the Blessed Mace's healing powers. So puzzled that she failed to dodge the Djinni-reinforced counter attack that Ivan followed up with. Isaac grabbed Mia by the shoulder and pulled her back from the battle, since Saturos was now busy with Garet.

"They've never seen weapon Psynergy before!" exclaimed Isaac. "That's why Menardi didn't understand what was happening!"

"What? Come on, we've been using it since I joined you guys," Mia stated.

"Yes, Mercury Lighthouse, which was also the last time we saw these freaks of nature."

Mia smiled like an ancient predator with anti-personnel missiles. "Let's screw with their heads."

"Shining Star!" called Ivan, who had heard their exchange. From the Zodiac Staff he launched a salvo of starry blasts which strafed the space around Menardi. She reeled from the blast, and Garet struck while she was still recovering.

"Drown!" sang Mia over the howl of her Crystal Rod. It released a torrent of water, which flooded the Aerie before spilling over the edges. Saturos and Menardi rose from the deluge with expressions like demons with allergies.

"I know everyone's always talking about hidden depths, but would it kill you to stay deep? Titan Blade!" Isaac's Gaia Blade shone with stunning brightness and howled, bringing down a vast Psynergy sword. From the point where it stabbed into the Lighthouse a fountain of Venus power exploded forth.

"What do you say, Saturos?" asked Menardi.

"I say we make them wish their parents had never even considered having children," he replied.

"I agree." In unison, they struck. "Pyroclasm!" Tremendous power gathered, preparing to blow the Adepts into charred atoms. But the fury of the Djinn could not be undone.

The fire burst upward, engulfing the Adepts in its incinerating embrace, and Saturos smiled for just a second before the flames divided, split by the sacred firewall as Garet called out "Flash!" From the mind-burning core of the twin Pyroclasms the Adepts stepped forth, looking all the more impressive for the scorch marks that blackened them.

"Impossible!" he rasped.

"Not impossible," Garet corrected him. "Just very, very unlikely. And those aren't even close to being the same thing."

"Unleash Kite!" called Ivan, and he split into two, slightly faded images of himself. It wasn't easy to control this power, but well worth the effort. One called out 'Luff!' as the other yelled 'Squall!' A seal locked in around Menardi, blocking her Psynergy, as a bolt of crackling electricity struck Saturos.

"Unleash Ember!" shouted Garet, and the fire of passion restored the Adepts' Psynergy. He charged at Saturos and Menardi, leapt over and past them with only a blast of 'Scorch!' to keep them busy, and landed perfectly on the other side. "Torch!" A burning heat filled the air and from the spirit of a Mars Djinni flames leapt up around Saturos and Menardi. Only annoying, really, but the perfect setup for Mia.

"Unleash Spritz!" and with her words she healed the injuries they had suffered. "Tonic!" cleared away the choking smoke and vapours that hung in the air. A wild blast from Menardi knocked Ivan off his feet, but a call of "Dew!" healed him before it caused permanent damage. And then she cried out "Hail!" and a storm of ice crashed into Saturos and Menardi. They fell and could not fully stand again.

"Go for it, Isaac," Garet whispered in the heavy silence.

"What? I... even after all this-" Isaac stuttered.

"Pitiful," Saturos sneered. "I was right about you, Isaac of Vale. You aren't the type to finish anyone off, are you? The warrior with morals, the soldier for peace. Pathetic."

"I suppose you're right, Saturos. I'm not one to finish people off," Isaac admitted. "But I am the type to make sure as hell you never hurt anyone again. Mother Gaia!" From the depths Lighthouse well, a great glow arose, blossoming into an explosion of Venus power as it reached the Aerie. The light faded.

"That's it, then," said Ivan after a time. "We're done here."

"You think that's enough to finish us off? You're more foolish than I thought, if that's possible," said Menardi, attempting to stand. Saturos did the same.

"Maybe not, but you sure can't keep fighting," Garet said. Saturos reached into his armor.

"Not right now. But we'll be just fine once I do this," he replied calmly, and, as though discarding a useless object, tossed the Venus Star over his shoulder and into the well. Isaac's heart seized up as something Bane had said echoed in his mind. 'You can't just throw it in, you know.'

"They threw it in," Isaac whispered.

"They threw it in?!" echoed Bane, somewhere in his head.

"And now," Menardi went on, "that wonderful symbiosis of Venus and Mars will take its effect. Ready, Saturos?" She took his hand.

"Of course," Saturos replied graciously, and he started to glow. Psynergy rained off them like dew off a shaken tree in the fog. And they began to meld.

The strange thing- twin and yet one -rose high above the Adepts, changing from human to something far more terrible as it grew. The sky above the Lighthouse filled with blood red clouds and lightning flashed in the sky. A low quake, like thunder in the earth, rolled out from the tower's base. The glow subsided from the twisted thing, and the tremendous beast called the Fusion Dragon roared a battle cry.

"They began this..." Isaac whispered to the others, never taking his eyes off the monster, "but we'll finish it. They don't know what they're up against." The other Adepts nodded, and they took a combat stance.

"Quake Sphere!" "Flare Storm!" "Tempest!" "Glacier!" Psynergy crashed through the sky, smashing and burning, slashing and freezing the great beast. It barely twitched when the maelstrom struck it, and when the attacks ceased it looked at them with malevolence unimagined.

"Dark Blessing!" Both heads swung back, then snapped forward like a whip and released a gout of deadly blackness. The cloud moved like the fogs of death, choking and sapping and poisoning the air.

When it cleared, Isaac continued coughing for a few moments before turning to Garet, Ivan, and Mia. "It's time for the Summonings. Hit... it, them, whatever, with all three before it can react, and I'll see what I can do."

"Fire Power Rise! Garet Summons Meteor!" From the scarlet sky a massive flaming sphere fell, striking the Aerie and exploding with unstoppable force into a great column of fire.

"Wind Power Rise! Ivan Summons Thor!" An ancient rune carved itself in coruscating lightning in the sky and fell, transforming into the thunder god when it struck. From his hammer an awesome bolt of lightning arced across the air and discharged its power into the Fusion Dragon.

"Does it disturb any of you that it's not looking much worse for the wear?" asked Mia. She was answered with a series of expectant looks, finally snapped. "All right, all right, I'm doing it!"

"Water Power Rise! Mia Summons Boreas!" The iron lord of the North Winds broke free of his icy shell and breathed arctic wrath upon the Fusion Dragon. Snow and ice built up in a great prison before being shattered by a single concentrated bolt of cold energy.

"Do you ever get the feeling that he's spitting on our enemies, and it just happens to freeze on the way down?" asked Garet. "How was that, Saturos? Cold enough for ya?"

The dragon staggered, its eyes locking onto Mia. "Indeed, she possesses great power to harm us. This is unacceptable," it growled.

"Not a lot you can do about it," Ivan called back.

"You would be surprised, little one." And with impossible speed a claw lashed out, gathering Psynergy power as it swung, to make one perfect, lethal stab.

Mia collapsed, and drew no breath.

For a few moments, Isaac did the same. Then he rushed to her side, searching, hoping for some sign of life. There was none.

"No," he whispered. "No, this isn't possible."

"Not impossible, mortal. Just very, very unlikely," growled the dragon, grinning maliciously.

"No!" said Isaac again, and this time through tears. "Mia, come on. Please..." She was still, and silent. No beat of her heart came through, no sudden intake of breath. Only the quiet stoniness of that which is gone.

"Damn it, this is pointless!" he yelled, tears still on his face. "What does it all matter?! Earth, Wind, Fire, Water, Alchemy- who cares?!" Then he whispered once more: "It's worthless. It can't solve real problems, it can't make everything better... There's nothing there, it's just heroes and villains and fighting and death..."

"No, Isaac, there's more to it than that," said Bane, who was suddenly by his side. "But for now, that's not the important part. This is: you do have the power. The final step to becoming a Lord is knowing that you have limits too, knowing that Psynergy can't solve all your problems." He breathed deeply, the sound of the old man suddenly realising how long his life has been. "Bane Allies with Isaac." In a flash of yellow light Bane vanished and joined with Isaac's soul, Setting himself as a channel for new power. "Go for it."

Slowly, a crooked, sad smile appeared on Isaac's face. And in his eyes glowed the power of the Lords of ages past. He raised one hand, and carefully placed it on Mia's chest, just below her neck.

"Revive."

Light leapt up, shining in the darkness of the Aerie. It swirled through the air and burst in great tiered fountains around them. Glowing wings shot out of Isaac's back, making him appear as though an angel for just a moment. Then the feathers of light flew off, spiralling around and settling onto Mia's body. There they flashed and disappeared, and her eyes...

In an instant they snapped open, feeling the rush of new life in a mind old enough to understand it. Above Mia's face, Isaac smiled as light glinted off the trails of extinct tears. "Quiet," he whispered. Turning slightly to face the stunned figures of Ivan and Garet as well, he said cheerfully: "Don't move. I'll be right back."

Isaac stood, grinning helplessly as he drew the Gaia blade again and walked toward the Fusion Dragon. "Good attempt, I'll give you that. Unleash Flint!" Strength that would break rocks filled his arms as Isaac slashed the Fusion Dragon.

"Mia had the power to hurt you, and the power to heal us. Granite!" he called as it unleashed the Dragon Driver against them. The auras split the flames easily, protecting the Adepts.

"But somehow I don't think you were quite expecting my reaction to work the way it has. I admit what I thought first was that there was no way out-" A stabbing claw carved at Isaac's side, but he called out at the same instant "Quartz!"

"Yet that's not quite the way I work. Hope is something that isn't easy to beat. Vine!" As the Dragon opened its mouths to fire another Dragon Driver, vines shot out of the Aerie, wrapped around the two heads and tied them closed.

"And of course, fighting to avenge those you loved is good, but it's a lot easier to fight for those you have to protect. Sap!" A vision of Isaac's mother back in Vale, waiting and hoping that her son would come back, victorious, appeared in his head as he drew energy from the dragon.

The vine-bonds snapped, and the Fusion Dragon roared: "Outer Space!" It leapt into the sky, preparing to come crashing down like the flames of Armageddon. Or at least, tried to.

"Ground!" A gravity well pulled the monster back down, holding it from any motion. "I guess what I'm trying to say is... you can't beat me. Not now or ever again. Bane!" he cried, and plunged the Gaia Blade deep into the beast's flesh. A debilitating venom spread through it, attacking from within. The dragon reared back, screaming as it struck down toward Isaac with all the destructive power it could manage.

"Earth Power Rise!" The dragon still fell, flames brewing and claws glinting, oblivion rushing downward unstoppably. "Isaac Summons Judgment!"

Time stopped. Everything froze as the red clouds parted and revealed clear blue sky. And through it flew an archangel, armored in blue with golden wings. A shield was raised, its face the shape of a lion's head, and power gathered into it. From the lion's mouth a star shot toward the earth, striking the Venus Lighthouse at its top. A sphere of light blazed outward, its awesome force cleansing all its touched.

The light faded, and the world began moving again. Saturos and Menardi collapsed, and fell into the well of the Lighthouse. Isaac lowered his sword.

"You did it," said Felix, standing with Sheba at the edge of the Lighthouse. As Isaac turned in surprise to see the Adepts watching him, a great quake rose through the tower and shattered it into four parts. Isaac and the others were thrown to the floor, but they were luckier than Sheba and Felix.

Sheba hung by one arm over the edge of the Aerie. Felix scrambled to grab hold, but she started to slip. "No! Sheba, just hold on a second more!"

"I... can't... " she whispered. "Thank you, Felix." And she fell. Without a word, Felix dove after her. Almost calmly, the four quarters of the Lighthouse linked back together.

"Felix!" shouted Garet. He struggled to his feet and rushed to the edge. "I don't believe it. He jumped after her... into the ocean?" The other Adepts looked out in amazement at the waves that now lapped at the Lighthouse's base.

"The water rose up to the foundations," Mia stated. No one needed to say 'How', since they were all wondering 'Why' anyway.

"I guess we won," Garet said eventually.

"Yeah," Ivan agreed. "All we have to do now is find Alex and get that Star back."

"And Jenna. And Kraden," Garet added as an afterthought.

"Right. We have to tell Jenna what happened to her brother," said Isaac. The power of the Lords had left him, and the fact that he had just seen four people die was weighing heavily on him. "Good thing you'll be there, eh?"

"What do you mean?" asked Garet.

"Nothing, nothing at all. Let's get out of here, everyone." He started toward the platform that had been, at Mercury Lighthouse, a shortcut to the base.

"Hold on, Isaac. You forgot something," Mia called.

Isaac stopped. "What?" he asked, and began counting on his fingers. "Still have the Gaia Blade, slew the dragon and defeated Saturos and Menardi, saved everyone I could-" Mia, who had walked closer while he spoke, wrapped her arms around Isaac and kissed him on the lips. A surprised second later, Isaac closed his eyes and held Mia tightly, feeling that for once something might just have worked out perfectly.

"Uh-huh," Garet stated impassively, arms crossed as he watched them. After some time he started to tap his foot, at which point Ivan tripped him with the Zodiac Staff.

Isaac and Mia parted slightly, though he still held her in his arms. "Oh. That."

"You think you're so funny," Mia whispered.

"I am funny."

"Intentionally?"

"O-kay, can we go now?" asked Garet. "Isn't Faran waiting for us?"

"Probably," Isaac replied, and started walking with Mia to the platform. Garet and Ivan followed, and the ledge started down the side of the Lighthouse. Isaac looked up at the sky. "Beautiful day."

"How long are you going to be like this?" asked Garet.

"Don't worry, it'll go away when we hit sea level," said Isaac, grinning.

"Yeah, swimming for shore will do that to you," Ivan agreed.

"But until we do," said Mia, "there's still a blue sky and a Golden Sun."





Behold, for it is complete! At long last (Good Gallant, I've been working on this story for *how* many months?!) Golden Sun Redux, Venus Lighthouse Chapter, is complete. I'd like to thank me for writing it, as well as my proof reader (me) who had the despicable job of cleaning up all the hideous errors and badly-worded or -plotted sections. Also, I couldn't have done this without the help of my fantastic editor, Myself. I'd also like to thank everyone who read it, ask for more suggestions on which part to Redux next, and remind everyone to check up on The Battle For Digital City, which should be appearing in the Digimon section within the month (you know how I am on punctuality). And finally I'd like to remind everyone that this Thursday, Sept 17, is Talk Like A Pirate Day. No, really.