Chapter 10: Calm Before The Storm

The cool night air wafted through camp as Isaac sat next to the dying fire, poking at it with a stick absentmindedly. Tomorrow the group of adepts would scale the Venus Lighthouse to stop Saturos and Menardi once and for all. It was an odd thing to think about that after all this time chasing the group, they finally had a chance to actually stop the lighting of a lighthouse.

One way or the other it will all be over tomorrow...Isaac mused as he preformed his watch in the rocky terrain of the Suhalla Gate. Not long after leaving the desert behind, Isaac and company set up camp for a reprieve from the long day in harsh winds and sand. Hopefully everyone will be recovered enough by tomorrow to be at our best for the lighthouse. We can't afford to fail here...

The embers of the fire crackled as another thought rose unbidden and unwelcome in the back of his mind. The first prediction that Feizhi made during their short time together had been coming back to Isaac more often in recent days as the group continued to get closer to the Venus Lighthouse.

Isaac frowned. There's no mistaking what she said she saw...The details were all there. The beacon of the lighthouse was lit in her vision and I was the only one she saw on top of the lighthouse. Is that an omen of our failure...? Or does it mean something else?

That was the most important question and the one that had been eating away at Isaac's mind. He had not told any of the others about that vision yet and didn't know if he should because it could have been a complete misinterpretation as Feizhi had said. That still doesn't stop me from worrying about it, Isaac knew.

"Hey," a soft voice said next to Isaac while he was starting at the fire, startling him. He looked over to see Mia taking a seat on the large rock next to him and relaxed again.

"Oh, hey Mia," he replied.

"So, what has you feeling down?" the cerulean haired girl asked curiously when she noticed Isaac's mood.

Isaac almost laughed. Just how perceptive is she? I didn't think I was outwardly worried...he shrugged. "I don't know if I'm feeling down..." he said, trailing off.

"Well I see that something's on your mind," Mia replied, trying to be clear she was here to help if he wanted it.

Isaac smiled sadly and looked over at the girl next to him. "You remember Feizhi right?" Isaac asked.

Mia nodded at him not exactly sure what Feizhi could have to do with the mood he was in. "Sure, I remember her..."

Isaac took a breath and then said, "Well...what's bothering me is a vision that she had."

"She had a vision while we were with her?" Mia asked in surprise.

"Yes..." Isaac said. "I'm probably just misunderstanding the vision and she even told me it wasn't perfectly clear...but it still worries me."

"What was it?" Mia asked the logical follow up question.

"It was one of the lighthouses," Isaac said as an explanation. "The lighthouse was lit," he added.

Mia's eyes went wide at those words and she wasn't sure how to react. "So does that mean...?"

Isaac nodded. "That's what I'm afraid of. We might not actually succeed tomorrow."

Mia looked a way for a minute, processing this new information. "But you did say it wasn't necessarily clear right?" she asked again. "I mean...it's not something for certain is it...?"

Isaac shrugged. "Feizhi did tell me not to worry about it though..." so I don't think she's certain of it either. "All the same it still worries me, especially because she apparently only saw me in the vision."

"Well it was a vision about you..." Mia said cautiously.

"But if the beacon is lit and Feizhi only saw me...what happened to You, Garet, and Ivan?" Isaac said, diving straight into the root of his fears.

"Ah..." Mia said as comprehension dawned upon her. "So none of us were in it and you think that..." she trailed off.

Isaac nodded solemnly, scared to see her reaction. I don't want to say that they might not...make it...but I don't know what to think...

"I think you're worrying about this too much," Mia said, giving him a weak smile of confidence.

"What?" Isaac said, expecting any response other than this.

"Well...the way I see it is that we weren't in the vision at all...That doesn't mean we weren't there," Mia pointed out.

Isaac shook his head. "But I'm worried I might lose you..."

Mia put a hand gently on Isaac's leg, grabbing his attention and forcing him to focus on her words. "I'm sure that we're all right there with you, but the vision was just about you. After all, Feizhi had this vision when she was alone with you right?" she asked.

Isaac nodded. "Yes, you're right, but...the beacon was still lit...what about that?"

Mia's hand left Isaac's leg and she frowned. "I don't know what to make of that...but all we can do is try our best to stop the lighthouse from being lit...and deal with the results if we do fail..."

Isaac still shook his head. "Even so...the possibility that something might happen to you..."

She sighed, but looked back at Isaac with a smile. "Don't worry too much about it. I know that if you're there, nothing bad will happen. I trust you and know that you wouldn't let anything hurt me," she told the boy.

Isaac sighed as well, dropping his hands and head down in defeat. "I suppose I am just over thinking it...but I can't help getting worried. Thanks for helping me feel a bit better about it though," he added, looking back over at Mia who was smiling at him.

"Of course, no problem!" she said, glad to hear she had managed to cheer him up, if only a little bit.

The pair sat in silence with each other for a little while before Isaac changed the subject. "So why are you out here anyway?" he asked Mia.

The cerulean haired girl shrugged nonchalantly before responding. "I guess I just couldn't bring myself to sleep right now," she explained.

"Truth be told, I have tomorrow stuck in my mind as well," Mia added. "Don't worry! It's not about this vision or anything like that," she clarified when Isaac gave her a worried look.

"I just have to wonder what happens if we do succeed in stopping them tomorrow. I mean...our journey would actually be over then right?" she asked.

Not waiting for Isaac to answer, Mia continued speaking. "We've been traveling around like this for long enough now that it's become routine. Traveling with you and Garet and Ivan is what feels normal to me now. I don't know how I could adjust to the journey actually ending..."

Isaac couldn't help giving her a smile about her insecurity with the end of their quest as it just meant she had fit in perfectly with the rest of them.

"I hate to admit it..." Mia started to say, "...but there are times where I've thought traveling together with you was just fun...times where I forgot all about our quest and just found spending time with you guys to be enjoyable."

Isaac laughed at that and gave the cerulean haired girl a big smile. "I know what you mean. I know this journey is a serious matter but there are times I've felt the same way," he told her. "It makes me question if I actually do want our adventure to end..."

Isaac shook his head. "Of course none of this affects what we have to do tomorrow. We will need to end things and stop the lighthouse from being lit." Changing his tone with a smile, Isaac added, "Who knows though? Maybe once this is over we will all go on a trip together somewhere."

Mia smiled at the thought and blushed before replying. "I'd like that. I want to spend more time with you after this is over..." she said.

Isaac continued to look over at Mia fondly. The way her pinkish cheeks contrast with that cerulean hair makes her look so cute, the blonde boy thought. "Of course..." Isaac replied. "I don't want to part with you either," he added.

Mia gave him a wide smile and grabbed his arm instead of replying, letting her head rest against Isaac's shoulder. She closed her eyes with a smile of contentment on her face, still graced by a slight blush. Isaac was surprised, but took it in stride, happy to see Mia looking so peaceful as she leaned against him. It's moments like these that make everything we go through worth it, Isaac thought with a grin at the girl attached to his arm. I don't know what it is, but her kind and caring personality just makes me want to protect her from everything. It's similar to how I am with Jenna, yet there's something else...some other feeling I get when I'm with Mia that is hard to explain...

I really can't decide what I think about her anymore. These feelings I feel when I'm with her...it's not something I'm used to, but it still feels...normal...like it belongs...With a smile, Isaac reached out and brushed some hair out of Mia's face. The way she looks when relaxed like this is so pretty...Isaac thought. I don't mind staying like this for a while...

Isaac looked away, up at the stars, trying to sort out the meaning behind everything. Could the reason behind these feelings be that I see her as something other than a friend? Isaac sighed. We haven't even known each other for that long, yet I feel like I've shared my entire life with her.

If I didn't know any better I might say these feelings are 'love,' but is that really possible in such a short time? Perhaps it is just an infatuation or interest in her brought about by living together so closely... Of course it doesn't help that she's glued to my arm right now either, Isaac thought with a humorous smile.

That's probably what it is though, he decided. She's a close friend and living together every day has some kind of effect on that. I wouldn't want to ruin that friendship between us by saying something stupid. Plus, this journey isn't even the right time or place to bring up something like that anyway...

Isaac looked back at Mia and saw her eyes looking back at him curiously, sparkling like the sea. Isaac immediately blushed as his heart skipped a beat in surprise at her stare. "What is it Isaac?" Mia's gentle voice asked him.

Isaac shrugged and gave her a smile. "Nothing really...Just enjoying the calm of the night," he answered, not wanting to mention the long tangent his thoughts had taken over the last few minutes. "It's very peaceful most of the time and even though it means one of us is having trouble sleeping, I do like these watches where we both spend time together," Isaac added.

Mia smiled and gave him an, "Awww...you're so sweet." Sitting up again, she said, "I think it's also a pleasant surprise to see you when I'm on watch too."

Isaac blushed, remembering his thoughts before as he was once again reminded of her charming personality. He sighed and tried to clear the thoughts away again, but they persisted, as strong as ever. The way she looks at me...the feeling of her hands...that kind voice in my ears...why do they make me feel this way? Isaac thought with frustration. Sometimes I just want to grab you, hold you tight, and never let go. Seeing you feeling down hurts me, and seeing you scared makes me want to protect you from all harm. Isaac brought his hand to his head as his thoughts wandered again, back to the cerulean haired girl he could not take his mind off of.

"Are you okay?" Mia asked the blonde boy, picking up on his distress.

Isaac smiled. As usual, she can tell something's off tonight with me. That's just another little piece of the Mia I love...Isaac shook his head quickly. Love? Love again? I keep coming back to the idea of love...but that's not...

"Ahh..." Isaac exclaimed, sighing loudly. "I'm fine, I just have a headache," he lied.

Mia looked over the boy with concern and raised her hand to his forehead to ensure he didn't have a fever. "Hmm...well you don't feel sick..." she said slowly. "I think you should just go get some extra sleep. You've been pushing yourself too hard these last few days," Mia explained with a smile.

"No, no, but I'm on watch right now," Isaac said, declining the idea.

Mia gave him another caring smile that forced his heart to beat slightly faster. "Don't worry about it! It was almost over and I'm already awake for mine anyway. Go get some sleep okay?" she requested.

Always looking out for others instead of yourself...Isaac thought as he opened his mouth to refuse once more.

Before he could actually say it, Mia crossed her arms and spoke again. "I know what you're going to say, but I'm telling you I'll handle the rest of your watch, so just go rest," the cerulean haired girl said in a firm tone.

Isaac shook his head and raised his hands in defeat. "All right, all right! I'm going to bed," he answered her, standing up and heading for the tent. Hmph...She knows me a little too well... Isaac thought with a small smile as he walked away.

"Good night then," he told Mia with a wave of his hand as he ducked into their tent.

"Good night," came Mia's response, back in her cheerful voice again.

Lying down on his bedroll, Isaac once again put his hand on his forehead and sighed again. Mia...This feeling...He shook his head again. I'll figure everything out after tomorrow is over...