I actually started writing this chapter directly after I sent out the last one. Funny, huh? Anyway, the next chapter should wrap up the present. I'll skip ahead a few years for reasons not to be said – just yet. Hope you guys like it – I have about 600 views so far, so that's something, I guess. Oh, and if anyone can spot what movie I borrowed Conservato's entrance from, I'll give you a cameo in chapter 12 if you send me a PM with your appearance – no photos, just verbal desc.
Lemuria
"How have you come to know my name, young Adept?" The ancient king repeated his query to a stunned Alex. "Y-Your Majesty, I do not know how. Only – I could never forget your face. I had some sort of episode earlier, about a day or so ago…I saw you, or someone that looked like you, sealing Alchemy. My memory of it is clouded somewhat though."
Hydros shook his head. "Nay, your eyes do not deceive you, young one. I am the very same Adept that you saw. I take it that you were the one that had the misfortune of dealing with my brother?" Alex looked confused. "Your brother?" Hydros – Alexander, Alex mentally corrected himself – spoke again. "Yes, my brother. I take it you are the one who found his cave and released him?"
At this, Alex nodded. "Actually, released may not be the best of terms to describe what happened. We shared a body and a mind, for far too long, in my opinion. That is why I can do many of the things that I can, such as this –" here Alex Warped to Felix's side, then back " – and this – " here he started levitating. "I taught my comrades to do something similar, though I am not sure if they will be able to do so outside of Lemuria, since there is so much loose power here."
Alexander stood up, getting out of the throne. "That is not what I expected. The Wise One said he would play a role in the release of Alchemy." Suddenly, the doors banged open, Conservato barging through them, robe in shambles and eyes wild with fear. "King Hydros! T-Th-There is something in the Senate building! It has already killed two other senators, and the rest are trapped!" Alex stepped forward. "Is it a black and purple hole in the world?" The terrified senator managed to convey that it was, then fell over, out cold from Psynergy loss. Something went crunch; probably a nose.
The entire party ran over to the Senate. Sure enough, a large Vortex was pulsing in the doorway, the motionless bodies of the two other senators Conservato had mentioned lying near it. A collective murmur passed through the group as they realized that to have gotten out, Conservato must have had to run through the Vortex itself. How he had done it was anyone's guess. Alex turned to Piers. "Tend to Conservato; there is no way he made it through there without damage to his body." Alexander waved his hand. "I shall do it. I have lived long enough to have garnered an immense amount of knowledge on the healing arts." The king gave a humorless grin. "And you are not the only one who can Warp, Alex." With a flash of light, the king disappeared. Alex surveyed the situation, turning back to the building. "Anyone have a Psy Crystal? I'll probably need a few…or the water from the spring would help." Piers waved his hand, and a large ball of spring water was siphoned magically through the air, to be poured into several waiting flasks.
Alex grabbed the flasks, fastening the ropes that were around the necks to his belt and putting the Psy Crystals offered by a still-burnt Felix into a pocket in his robes. "Here goes…" He could not Warp into the building; the distance between the landing point and the Vortex was far too close, and there was a good likelihood that he would be torn in two when he materialized – the Vortex could very well eat a portion of his body.*(see author's note at bottom for full Psynergetic B.S sciencey explanation.)
Which meant that he had to, yet again, destroy a Vortex.
He did not relish the thought of probably having to deal with Xela again, but it was something that had to be done. Pushing aside his trepidation, he trudged like a zombie towards the building, the Vortex sapping his power. He grabbed a Crystal, and plunged his hand into the Vortex. Crushing the Crystal, he pulled every ounce of power that the anomaly had sucked from the world, making the Vortex steadily shrink. Then, as before, he blasted every bit of power he had into it, the Crystal effectively doubling his reserves, as it replenished him, even as he pushed out his Psynergy. And again, as before, the Vortex grew, shuddered, shrank, then disappeared.
Thankfully, though, this time, Alex did not.
He dropped to the ground, exhausted by this effort. Pulling another Crystal out, he crushed it, shaking his head as his power returned to him. He moved to the sides of the senators, feeling for their pulses. One was nonexistent – he was dead. But the other had a weak, dogged pulse still going. Alex drenched the man in healing Psynergy, then left a flask by his side, getting up to tend to the other senators.
Later
In the aftermath of the Vortex, Alex and the others regrouped in the king's chambers. Conservato had recovered quite well, though he had fallen over when trying to walk, crunching his nose yet again, so he was put in a bed, despite his nasal protests that he was fine. Alexander was pacing back and forth, obviously stressed by the appearance of the Vortexes in Lemuria. Eventually, though, he sat down, and Alex walked to his side.
"Your Majesty, if I may, how have you survived this long? It has been several thousand years since Alchemy was sealed. Beyond that… How have you been king this long without raising suspicion?" Alex asked. The king gave a wan smile. "If you saw me fight my brother, then you must know how I won. The Wise One's power boost, along with the anti-aging influence of Lemuria, has kept me alive and well this whole time. It has been a trial, yes, but… As for why my longevity did not arouse suspicion, the kings of Lemuria generally do live longer than most Lemurians. Though I have lived longer than most, I have also been more careful than many of my predecessors. Few Lemurian kings have died of old age." Alex nodded, his curiosity sated. The king fixed his gaze squarely on the young Mercury Adept. "For my part, I wish to know what that thing was, exactly, and how you destroyed it." Alex gave him a crash course on Psynergy Vortexes.
While that was happening, the other Adepts congregated in a circle, discussing matters. "How can we be sure that the Vortexes are kept in check? None of us are on Alex's level of power without the use of our Djinn, and a Vortex will probably end up killing them. Sheba's Djinn were completely drained when she had her power sapped," said Ivan. Felix pointed at Conservato's room. "He was able to run right through it, and was able to get all the way from the senate to the palace and tell us what happened. And he is a marginal Adept, at that." Jenna butted in. "Why not work together? Surely all of us together are powerful enough to beat one lousy Vortex – after all, we all know how tough Dullahan was; there's no way Alex can be stronger than that." Alex walked over, having heard his name mentioned. "I'm sorry, but as it is, all of you together could not match my abilities. My power is nigh on infinite – that's why I am able to overload the Vortexes. Even with your Djinn, I am still more powerful. I shall investigate that, though. Isaac may have enough power eventually… The Wise One said on Mount Aleph that the reason that I did not get all the power I was expecting is that he placed some of the power of the Golden Sun in Isaac's hands. So he may have an equal measure of the power."
Mia walked over to him. "But what shall we do till then? You can't keep doing this; it's hurting you… I don't want to see you hurt, Alex. I don't want to see you killed." The rest of the group shifted somewhat uncomfortably, feeling a bit awkward now, since Sheba had (secretly) informed the group about the healer's feelings for Alex. She had tried to read Alex, and had noticed that he too was mixed up on the inside, but wasn't able to get much farther before he noticed how silent she had become.
Ivan pulled Piers aside. "Did you have any inkling about the king's true past?" The sailor shook his head. "His Majesty has never indicated that he knew anything about the sealing of Alchemy, let alone that he was involved in it. And Conservato…his grandfather must have had to suppress his true feelings and knowledge to protect the world. I wonder…" Piers trailed off, staring at the clouds that eternally hid the sun in Lemuria.
The rest of the group dispersed, save Alex and Mia, heading to the rooms that the king had offered soon after they regrouped in his chambers. Alex fidgeted somewhat awkwardly, not sure how to talk to Mia. He was a bit confused about his feelings, as far as where they came from, but… Her hand felt for his, and grasped it firmly.
Alex's eye started twitching.
Prox, the training grounds, one year before the Boulder.
"That was my favorite robe," remarked Alex laconically, and disappeared.
Saturos whirled around, not about to let his opponent get the better of him. However, it happened anyway, just not how he expected it. Menardi crashed into him, sodden yet again, bearing the both of them into the air. Alex was standing in front of where she had been, hand still streaming water.
Their flight came to a rough halt against a small outcropping of rock, Menardi's weight knocking the air from his lungs. Saturos wheezed, then peeled his partner off of him. Tossing her a Crystal, he crushed one himself, then retrieved his sword. Menardi hefted her scythe, murder in her eyes. The icicles on her nose somewhat ruined the effect, Alex observed. Then he was forced to observe the flames that were licking at his robes from Flare Storm, and hopped out of the flaming ring, yapping as a stream of lava caught him in the rear. Quenching the fires, he noticed that he had holes in his pants as well. That ticked him off quite a bit; Mia had given them to him. But at the thought of her, a wrenching pain wracked his skull. Screaming, he went down, clutching his head. Menardi was beyond sympathy currently, but Saturos stopped her from incinerating the stricken Adept. Alex's shrieks suddenly cut off as he passed out.
He woke in Saturos's home in a rather comfortable bed. The Mars Adept knelt in front of a fire, turning a spit slowly. "You better?" the warrior asked without turning. "Yes…I shall be fine."
Ok, here's the explanation for Alex not Warping the senators out. My thoughts on the Warp are that the user basically converts their entire being to Psynergy (kind of P=mc2. P is Psynergy.) This Psynergy then moves at a high rate of speed to the destination. On longer journeys, the power is less likely to hold together (meaning that one could materialize with bits missing that one would almost certainly want to keep, so transferring temporarily to a different dimension is the safer way to go. Alex could not do a short jaunt into that dimension because Xela was right there, causing the Vortex. Took me a while to develop this theory. On a side note, Ivan's 'freaky thunder-god' technique is not the same – it is instantaneous movement.
Hope you enjoyed the chapter! And I really hope I'm not one of very few left here…. Please review! Prove me wrong!