The Truth is Painful
A Sandshipping story directed, composed, and produced by Leoshi!
!Disclaimer! Felix is chasing me down with a Firebrand blade…I took his Sol Blade from under his nose…don't tell him I'm here…but do tell Camelot that I do not own Golden Sun!
Welcome back to the Truth, in the final four chapters of the story. Man, I'm getting excited now! I hope you are, too. Anyway, in the last section of the tale, something terrible happened. Not only did Sheba have disturbing dreams, but she lost her ship…to itself.
In this next installment, a discovery is made. Several ones, at that. Many, good; many more, helpful. Let us proceed.
Chapter 10: The Sea of Time Sanctum
"I would like to begin today with a small lesson of Alchemy," Kraden said, readjusting his travel bag on his shoulders. He received a groan from Jenna – expected, of course. "Come now, Jenna, my dear. What's a little knowledge to go with the road, eh?"
Soon, Jenna decided to go along with the on-the-road teachings, voicing her opinion as they began toward the Shaman Village's caverns. "Okay," she said with a sigh. "But don't expect me to get too many things right."
Felix and Kraden chuckled almost simultaneously. Jenna wasn't the best of morning people to come across. She preferred the day over anything else, when beasts and brothers couldn't sneak up on her. "Excellent," the scholar began, taking out a small pad and his favorite fountain pen, a recent invention he himself came up with before his exploration in the Sol Sanctum many months prior. "Let's see," he mumbled, adjusting his lenses to the glare of the morning sun peaking over the mountain's edges. "Ah, here we go. Urm…Piers, let's begin with you, shall we?"
The Lemurian smiled to himself – he was a prodigy when it came to knowledge of Alchemy.
"Without the four elements of Fire, Water, Earth, and Wind, nothing would exist. Correct?"
Piers nodded. "Good," Kraden continued. "My first question is, then…if equal strengths of all four elements were combined into one, tightly confined area, what would happen?"
Piers slowed down as he considered this inquiry. For once, Kraden had surprised him. He hadn't been expecting a question like this. "Hmm…give me a moment…you said equal strengths? Yes…confined space…"
"Would anything happen at all?" Felix cut in genuinely interested. He caught the looks of everyone in his party as they wondered what he was leading to. "If I'm thinking this over correctly," he continued, "then nothing would result. Equal strengths of Mars and Mercury would defeat each other, as well as Venus and Jupiter. Therefore, nothing is spawned from nothing."
Silence reigned for a moment, soon broken by Kraden's chuckling. It soon grew into raucous laughter. "Very good, my boy!" he exclaimed, wiping a tear from his cheek. "Well said…and so accurate, too!"
Sheba was surprised with the other Adepts of Mars and Mercury. In all the times Kraden had questioned them about the elements, Felix had never responded, much less responded correctly. "Is it true, then?" she asked the scientist as she pulled out her staff to help support her up the hike to the Shaman Village caverns. "Would nothing exist after nothing?"
"Theoretically, yes, child," Kraden responded, flipping a page in his pad of paper. "To add on, here's an image to help out. Without wind, how could plants be? The wind carries the spores and seeds of various earthy plants, spreading them, thereby helping the land to flourish and grow. Without wind, that couldn't be – the vegetation would consume all the nutrients in the soil it's in, and soon would have nothing left. It would die, shrivel away.
"Inversely, how can we know of wind without the plants and trees to show it? The air currents brush up against, past, and through the foliage and blades of the earth, thereby proving its existence to us. Without those plants, how could we possibly know about such a thing?"
It made sense, in a way. The two elements destroy each other, but can also not be without one another. Wind cannot be proven without earth, and earth cannot survive without wind.
"Why…why am I thinking about this…? Wind…earth…survival…"
Felix could tell few things from where he was. One was that the air around him tasted stale, another was that it felt both cold in one part of him, and warm in the next. A third thing was that he had his eyes closed, a sheet of black covering his sight. He opened his eyes, and was mildly surprised to see pure white all around him – no plants, no water, no wind, no fire, nothing. There was no sure temperature to tell what part of Weyard he was in, and no Sol above to help him determine the time. In fact, there wasn't even terrain or a sky. He sat up, shaking his head slightly to clear his thoughts. He did remember the maelstrom, yes, and his falling into it with Sheba…Sheba…
"Sheba…!"
Somehow, Felix had gotten separated from his friend. He looked around frantically, his mind immediately conjuring several scenarios, each one drastic and unnecessary. One thought was that he was dreaming – which was quickly dismissed on account of the stale air being present – and another was that, Venus forbid, he had died and was stuck in limbo. He shrugged this off, too, because his body was sore from the iron chain that had nearly killed him before. Pain made you know you were alive…he remembered that saying.
Felix stood with a grunt, looking all around him. He could see only one thing – white. There was nothing to go by, nothing to note. With a curious sigh, he decided to look himself over…and was shocked to find that he couldn't see below his chest. His whole lower body, stomach, and even his arms at the elbows; all of it was gone. This wasn't normal, even for an Adept. Out of instinct, he tried to feel his arms with the hands that weren't there. He was shocked, further, to discover that he could, in fact, feel his arms. His brow furrowed with caution and curiosity as he tried to lift his arm. His hand materialized out of thin air.
If Felix could have been any more shocked, he might have become comatose. Regardless, he kept his sanity in check – as much of it as he thought he could, given the situation – and inspected his hands further. He found out that, at a certain distance, the digits vanished from his sight. He continued to bring his hand toward his face, and pull it away seconds later. After concentrating further, he determined that the white nothingness around him was, indeed, something. It was fog. A fog thicker than any the world has seen, and by far more dangerous.
'Fog…but then…does this mean I'm still in the Sea? I remember going under because of the vortex, so how…I'm alive, yes, and awake. How can this be? I've never…even heard of a place like this! Not even in legend and myth, so where could I be?'
Felix's head began to hurt. This was all too much, too fast. He had to find a way out or, if not that, at least find out where he was. Maybe if he got his bearings straight, he could navigate his way through this impregnable fog. If he did that, then he should be able to find out where he was, and where to go to leave.
…earth cannot survive without wind.
"Why does that phrase keep repeating?" he asked aloud, running a hidden hand through his hair. "Yes, I remember that lesson-"
He stopped himself, realization hitting him like the tidal wave of so many months ago. The phrase was a metaphor. And it meant that he couldn't go anywhere without Sheba.
Felix cursed himself for being so rash. In his haste to determine a way to navigate, he had completely abandoned Sheba from his thoughts. 'Damn it all, Felix! Come on! You've kept her safe for so long, only to…no, no, don't even THINK that she didn't survive the maelstrom! You were with her, and whenever she's been with you, you've kept her safe! Okay, okay…so first, I need to find her…Venus help me…where should I begin…?'
Felix took a deep breath to calm his nerves and relax his mind. He had learned a long time ago that being tense helped nobody, especially the one you need to protect. With a sigh, he attempted something he hadn't done in years – navigation through the earth.
As he was an Adept of the Earth element, theoretically he would be able to sense shifts and terrain in the land around him. Depending on his strength of Alchemy, he should have a varying range of how far he would sense the earth. He thought the event had occurred to him once before, after leaping off the Venus Lighthouse in a wild attempt to save Sheba. After the two had surfaced in the coast of the Eastern Sea, Felix had felt an irregularity nearby, which he discovered to be the floating island of Idejima. Had it not been for the Venus Lighthouse being lit, he might have been swimming for hours on end, trying to find land. Indeed, he had sensed the presence of earth on the surface of the water, and that had probably saved his life. And his future.
With this in mind, Felix decided to attempt it purposefully. He closed his eyes, mentally gripped his knowledge of Venus Psynergy, and plunged his hand into the ground he believed to be there. Now, when he plunged his hand into the ground, he did just that – plunged his hand into the ground, surprising him still. Normally, hard earth wouldn't allow a hand to enter it. His hand didn't feel cold or wet at the touch, so he knew it couldn't have been mud. His concentration was broken by more curiosity, and he gripped at whatever his hand was now dipped in. When he knew he had a decent handful, he brought his hand close to his face, in order to see what he was now crouching on.
"What the…hell?!?"
It was water. Water, of all things, changed to a consistency that could support weight and allow pointed entry. Never before had Felix heard of this phenomenon – to him, water was for drinking, bathing, and keeping various fire-based abominations at bay. Not for standing upon; the only things that should be able to "stand" on water were ships and holy beings of immeasurable power. Not normal people and Adepts.
Felix was shaking his head in disbelief. "Maybe I have died…this doesn't make any sense at all...Maybe I've just lost it. If I've gone crazy…if I'm hallucinating, then Great Venus above, strike me down now!"
Sadly, he meant that. He wasn't struck down. After a moment of recuperating, he stood up, gathered his faltering wits, and began walking.
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Sheba was panicked, to say the least. She had long since awoken to the white void around her, and managed to deduct the same few things Felix had. However, she hadn't maintained her calm, and was now rushing through a perpetual white fog on gelatinous water. In her haste, she had her staff out, but was only using it to whip at the pearl-white fog in a vain attempt to clear her field of vision. She rushed through the mist, gasping both in exasperation and in an attempt to calm her, though a part of her wouldn't allow it. She knew that allowing a moment to allow calmness to dominate could greatly help her, but she wouldn't receive that moment – her mind was too bent toward finding Felix and a way out of here. Nothing else mattered at the time.
Several minutes passed before the young Jupiter Adept allowed a moment to catch her breath. She bent over, grabbed her knees, and gasped in the stale air around her. Her throat felt as though it were on fire. She felt weak, alone – helpless. Despair dwelled at the edge of her sanity; not quite close enough to feel it, but in a near-enough position as to feel uneasy at the presence. At this thought, several memories instantly rushed Sheba's panicked mind: Trapped in Tolbi by the late Babi, captured in the desert by merciless Proxean warriors, a loss of grip at the top of Venus Lighthouse, lost in a vast sea with fast currents, the despair on Jenna's face after the slaying of the Wise One's miracle, sleepless nights in Vault's inn, regret laced into Felix's eyes, certain dreams that could not be ignored, loss of power at Jupiter Lighthouse, loss of power here…
Sheba screamed. It was too much. She jumped up and began swinging at the stale air before her, grunting and crying as the images lingered in her mind's eye. On one last swing, she could have – should have – noticed a difference as to how it ended. She had struck something…however, her knees failed her at that moment, and she fell to the "ground", whimpering. Only one thing, she knew, could possibly help her – one person. And she had no idea where he was.
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Felix had heard a scream. It was long, loud, and laced with anguish. And he knew who it belonged to. When realization hit him, his instinct took hold – he spun on his heel, regained his balance, and sprinted toward the source, all in a matter of seconds. Again, on instinct, his breathing settled into a steady rhythm. However, it was quickly changed into a grunt of surprise as he was struck by something - a crystalline object, by what he saw. What he did see, however, was familiar to him. He stopped where he was, and bent down in order to see what was underneath the fog. Sheba's shuddering form materialized before his eyes.
The young Venus Adept gasped. By chance – or fate, it didn't matter to him – he had found her. However, he didn't do what he normally would have done in such a situation, which was to embrace her and ask if everything was alright. Just by her crying form, he could tell it was exactly the opposite. Instead, he gently placed a hand on her shoulder without saying a word.
Sheba's head snapped up at the contact. With her veiled vision, she could see two things. One was a hand on her shoulder, and the other was Felix's face, completely strewn with worry. Her sobbing ceased after one last hiccup, and she took a moment to wonder if this was another phantom image lingering in her mind.
He spoke, and the thought was dashed away.
"Come back to me, Sheba…please…"
Felix, among all the other things he could have said at such a time, chose to say this. This was because he knew that she was in panic; he knew that, unless he did something quickly, she would do drastic things. He had heard of battle-stressed lords in the past days of Alchemy, when they eventually succumbed to panic and couldn't comprehend any situation, or how dire said situation was. Dozens of troops were slaughtered by enemy armies because of poor decisions and pure faith in them.
Sheba's head was reeling. 'What is…can I trust this…I can't…what if it's…what if he's really here? What can I do…? I have no idea what to do! What if he's not here at all…he spoke to me…the images never spoke to me…never…so he must be…'
"Fe…Felix…?"
"Yes, Sheba," he responded, nodding slightly. "I'm here…I'm always here for you. Come back to me… Come back, Sheba, please…"
She was still not convinced – her mind wouldn't allow it. "H-how can I know…if it's re-really…you?"
Felix's brow furrowed. She was worse than he thought. This was bad. "Sheba? Hmm…listen…what is one thing that only you and I know about? One happy memory that only the two of us share? Tell me." The teenage Jupiter Adept lowered her head, but it was quickly pulled back up by Felix's hand. "Don't look away," he pleaded. "Look at me and tell me…"
In the back of her mind, Sheba's brain supplied a memory of many months ago. It was on the first night of their travels, the first night of free reign, away from Saturos' commands and Menardi's threats. The night they had stayed at the Inn at Daila, in northern Indra. Felix was thinking over the aspects of being leader of the group. He had decided to take an evening stroll along the outskirts of the quaint little town, musing over past ventures and future misadventures that were bound to occur. As he was returning, he had run into Sheba, who had awoken earlier that Jenna and Kraden by chance alone. The two friends spoke for the remainder of the early morning, speaking of promises and destinies. It was here that Felix swore guardianship over the young girl, promising her safety would be jeopardized only after he had no strength left to keep her safe. As a seal to the agreement, Felix had given her his family medallion, since it was near useless to him at the time. It was the symbol of their pact, their friendship.
After a series of whimpers, Sheba reached into the folds of her robes, rummaging through them for a small crimson disk. The pendant was etched with a language long forgotten, a phrase used in the Golden Age. Above the words, there was a small, simple image, but the meaning meant worlds to the two Adepts. The carving had two slightly curved stiletto knives, crossing each other in an X shape. Placed over the knives, however, was a rectangular shield, with clear battle scars strewn about its' face.
"Only…only the two of us…can know what this phrase means…" she whispered, gently rubbing her thumb across the sentence. "Tell…tell me what it is…"
Felix moved his hands to her shoulders, gripping them firmly. He stared into her eyes, wanting her to believe him.
"Humility before honor," he said.
It was all Sheba needed. From her position of sitting on her knees, she leaned into what she now knew to be the real Felix. They embraced, and she felt a rushing feeling of truth run through her as she held onto her friend. She stifled her final few sobs into his chest, the phantom images of her despair finally dissipating from her mind's eye. With the knowledge that Felix was before her, Sheba uttered one statement, one that was among the highest priority at the time.
"This place…scares me…Felix. Let's get out…"
She couldn't see it, but Felix grinned. He stood, helping her to her feet, and held his grip on her shoulder. "Good idea, Sheba," he said, looking out at the brilliant white nothing before them. "Our best chance of anything is to head straight, and to stay together. I have no idea where we are or how we got to be here…I have nothing to go on other than abnormalities. Water for ground…white fog…no landscape…"
The situation was grim, of course. The two Adepts knew that all too well. Sheba, still nervous from her encounter of ghostly despair, clutched Felix's hand tightly. When he didn't object, she drew closer to him, not wanting to be alone in this white hell. They began walking.
It was some time later that something else happened – an unfortunate event for the two Adepts. It hit Felix first, in the arm: a dart, from what he could tell. He grunted at the needle pierced through his flesh and drugged him with an odd mixture of liquids he had never heard of before. Seconds after he pulled the weapon out of his arm, he began to feel nauseated. His knees failed him, and Sheba's voice, crying out for him, seemed miles and mountains away. The last thing he heard was her gasp as she, too, was struck with the odd weapon. His vision blurred as two figures stepped into it, obscured by the concoction he was internally fighting. Finally, when his mind could handle no more, he gave in to the overwhelming drug. Sheba's hand still gripped his, and with the last of his consciousness, he gripped hers.
His mind went black.
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"Where could…come from…ship? Maybe he…"
"Ridiculous…believe that this one…"
"…another with him, right?"
Felix's eyes snapped open to the familiar white nothing before him. Obviously, there were several people around him – men, judging by their voices. He couldn't see them, thanks to the nightmarish fog about him. However, he did notice that something was different than before. The men's voices were echoing around them, showing that he was in a room with these people.
"Hmm? Ah, he's awake…get some of the Vision Particles on him, Jacob."
Felix began to wonder what these "Vision Particles" could be when someone's face came into his eyesight. He was surprised on two counts: one, this man was a Lemurian; two, this Lemurian had shot a handful of dust into Felix's eyes, dust similar to the kind the thief of Yallam had used. However, before his instincts shut his eyes, he noticed that this dust, unlike the other, was a lustrous brown.
The Earth Adept blinked away the stinging in his eyes, turning away from the one called Jacob. He covered his eyes with his hand, wary in case another puff of the dust came at him. After a series of grunts as the stinging subsided, Felix willed his eyes to stay open and his hand to move away, so he could see his captors – and he was surprised.
He could finally see everything. The white void had seemingly left him. He could see the blue-white walls surrounding him, a simple curtain that made a door, a lack of windows, and four men, all Lemurian.
"Can you stand?" the one called Jacob asked, offering his hand to Felix. Reluctantly, Felix took it. He stood and began working out the stiffness from his joints. Apparently, he had been knocked out for quite some time. "I must say, we weren't expecting someone like you to come here. You are an Adept, yes?"
Felix nodded, massaging warmth into his sword hand, in case he needed to use it.
"We thought so," another one asked, stepping forward. "Only an Adept could have hoped to survive the maelstrom way into this Sanctum."
"Sean, I'd imagine this one has only the slightest idea of what you speak of," Jacob put in, noticing Felix's confused expression.
Sean nodded, understanding. "Of course. Allow us to explain, then, whe-"
"Have you forgotten already, Sean?" a third cut in. He placed a hand on Sean's shoulder, a stern look in his eyes. "Lord Poseidon wished to speak with him as soon as he was capable of movement."
Felix couldn't hold back his gasp at the utterance of the name. "Po…Poseidon? I-I thought…didn't…"
"Heheh, no, no, my good man," the third added, noting Felix's faltering speech, which was most likely stunned at the name. "Not the Guardian of the Seas, Poseidon. My Lord Poseidon is merely what we here call our leader. Rightfully so, as he is the one who was able to maintain the…shall we say…flood of Lemurians who came here. He is another of us – the first Lemurian who was exiled at that cursed Senator's whim. He is the one who wishes to speak with you."
"Where's Sheba?" Felix asked. And despite the near-wealth of information these men had given him, all remained silent at her name.
Felix was lead out by the fourth man there, whom the others called Orian, down a series of corridors that had all of the same decoration as the room he had been in – or lack thereof. Felix noticed that, just like the first room, windows were nowhere to be found, and only a select few doorways had actual doors on them, rather than a curtain. Another thing that stood out was the fact that, despite the numerous amounts of doorways and entrances, the people in this "Sanctum" were few and far between. Felix let out a muttered "Odd…" below his breath as he was led to a special doorway. Thick red-colored wood covered the next area, and Orian managed to open it with an odd combination of Psynergy and mystic dancing on the spot.
The red door opened silently, and Orian stepped back, allowing Felix easy access to the next room. The Venus Adept stepped in quietly, hearing Orian will the door shut once more. As the muffled click echoed about his head, Felix looked about at this new room. Unlike the other areas he had seen, this one was large, similar to a dining hall for a Great Abbey. The walls lacked the white strips of the other rooms, instead sporting a brilliant shine to the pearl-blue that seemed to spill from the walls in a torrent. Several tables littered the area, all large and all empty, save for one that had just over a dozen goblets.
"I'm pleased to see you're awake."
Felix's head snapped at the statement, immediately seeing the room's only other occupant. He gasped once more.
This man was Piers' uncle.
"You…you are…" Felix was shocked to the point where he couldn't form coherent statements. As if he knew the myriad of questions rushing in his mind, as well as the priority of them, this Poseidon continued.
"Surprised to find that I was the one who unintentionally sparked the revolution in Lemuria? Yes, Felix, I was the first one do be exiled after Piers left."
"Why would you… You mean you…actually ran in to one of Conservato's meetings, just to say your disagreement with Piers' sentence?" Felix stammered. It was extremely difficult for him to believe this. When he and his party had met Piers' uncle, he seemed calm and withdrawn. He gave off the impression of never attempting to make a scene or disrupt political leaders. To learn that he had jumped in the middle of the Head Senator's verbal battle with Hydros was…surprising.
"Please understand…it was my nephew," came his response. "I understand it is surprising, but I am family before I am a citizen of a corrupt system. Now…what questions do you have for me? You must have at least…several."
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The Hero of Weyard had learned many things. This area he was in was known as the long-lost Sea of Time Sanctum, crafted and bewitched by the combined talents of three cultures – the Anemos for the fog, the Shaman for the ground, and the Lemurians for the maelstrom. When "Poseidon" had been banished by Conservato, he had been given his ship and told to leave. He remembered an old tale about the ancient soils of Lemuria, and set to explore the abandoned stairways and waters. He had discovered the purposeful entrance to the Sanctum, and since then, has led all those exiled by the Senate into this haven.
Also, Felix had learned about the white void in the outside areas of the Sanctum. It was a fog, as he had thought, what interested him, though, was the fact that Poseidon had discovered a way to concentrate it into bursts of dried dust, causing the victim's brain to think it was pitch-black, therefore adjusting the vision. Everything would go incredibly bright at a distance, which gave the appearance of the white nothing – which explained Sheba's condition at Yallam's hills. He was told that, after hours of experimenting, Poseidon had concocted a dust to counteract the effects of the fog, which he labeled Vision Particles. It tricked the mind into believing it was the brightest day in history, causing it to adjust the vision, darkening everything drastically.
An even more surprising fact was that, after a few days of exploring, the need for food was apparent. As the most experienced Mercury Adept in the corridors, Poseidon was asked to venture out and collect food for a colony. After a quick disguise and locations of nearby towns, he had set off. His ventures proved unsuccessful for a short time, until he came to Yallam. He had donned brown dye for his hair, and had hid most of the length under his cloak, because what he did shamed him. Desperate, he had bumped into Felix intentionally, swiftly taking his pouch of Psynergenic items. He walked into the item store, stuffed several meats and fruits under his arm, and rushed out. What he had hoped against was Felix discovering his missing satchel by that time, and lost several goods during his flight. Of course, when Felix was told this, he was skeptical at best. However, Poseidon's story rang true when he held up the Teleport Lapis and spoke his apologies.
"It makes sense, then…how you were able to use the Lapis to escape… You're a Mercury Adept. That's why neither Sheba nor I could tell you could use Psynergy…you aren't linked to Venus or Jupiter."
"Felix, my boy, I do hope you accept my humblest apologies. I was one failed town away from actually mugging traders across roads – even murder, if it came to it. In a sense…you saved lives just by being in Yallam on that day."
Felix thought of something. "Hmm…all that food couldn't have lasted long, even in a timeless place such as this. Were you able to find new sources of food? Or…are you still pilfering items from small towns?"
"Heheh…nothing to fear, Felix," he replied with a chuckle. "In the last few hours here, thousands of fish have returned to claim territory in the nearby waters. The seas have cooled considerably, ever since the elements were placed in harmony. Because of this, we have had an endless supply of meat, and we only need to trade with small towns for other items, rather than take them."
The Venus warrior sighed to himself, relieved that a good way had come to these Lemurians. Losing one's home was a painful thought – he was forced to live with it for over three years. He knew that these people could be at ease, having this hidden sanctuary to live in.
Poseidon's next question caught Felix completely off his guard. "Aren't you concerned for Sheba?" he asked, taking a sip from a goblet of what seemed to be wine.
Felix's eyes widened as countless thoughts swarmed him. 'Oh, gods…Felix, you imbecile! You completely forgot about her! Come on, man, what kind of guardian are you? She should be your prime concern, not the status of an old Lemurian!'
"Hey, Felix," that old Lemurian began, seeing the distress his question had caused. "You needn't worry. She is fine – completely unharmed."
This did seem to calm Felix, however slightly.
"I just have some questions for you, regarding her."
This didn't. It had, in fact, raised Felix's suspicions. "Why?"
Piers' last family took on a serious tone. He stood up, walking around the table toward the Venus Adept. "It concerns you, too. Both of you, in fact. It's just some questions…"
'What…could he want to ask me? Regarding us? What could he have that regards us?' Despite Felix's train of thought, he nodded, allowing the Lemurian to continue. The man smiled, motioning the teen warrior to sit with him.
"Sheba…doesn't look like she could have come from…anywhere near your hometown, Felix. How did you two become friends?"
Felix shifted his weight, allowing the uncomfortable memory to replay. "She was…captured by the two people that had saved my life. Her home was many miles South of Vale – Lalivero."
"I have heard of it, yes."
The boy nodded, lost in his memory. "Saturos and Menardi needed her in order to proceed through the Jupiter Lighthouse, before it was ignited. They…scared her – threatened her, even, on top of the Venus Lighthouse Aerie. I came to her defense, and when Isaac and his party slew the two Proxean Adepts…after the Lighthouse was lit…"
Piers' uncle could see the effect the memory was having on the boy. "Er…you don't have to continue, if it's difficult." Relieved, Felix nodded. "Okay…how close are the two of you? Are you two simply friends, or…what?"
As this question was asked, the Lemurian had received a glare from the boy sitting across from him. "What does it matter?"
"Please, my boy. I've lived for over two centuries, and I've seen friendships crumble at their foundation, and seen many more build up from them. It's obvious that the two of you are close friends at least, and perhaps have formed a pact of some kind. I saw my own nephew in a foreign land, happily betrothed with someone he's never met before. You and Sheba have known each other for many months now, correct?"
Felix continued his glare, although he had softened it a bit. "Yes, we're close friends. And yes, we have a pact. I've sworn guardianship over her, and until I die, that is how it shall be."
"Ah," Poseidon began, noticing a connection. "'Until I die'? That's a very good foundation to have."
"What are you getting at, Poseidon?"
"Hmm…merely confirming what I had said seconds ago. Here's my main question, Felix. Do you love her?"
For once in his life, nothing came to Felix. Absolutely nothing – no witty response, no drastic action, no enraged attack, no calm dismissal. He sat there, stunned. Given, he had thought of a quick comeback to the Lemurian's inquiry, but his own thoughts stopped it. It allowed time to let the question sink in.
"This is important, my boy. Not just for you. Do you love her?"
'…love…? How could I… I mean, I'm her sworn protector, her guardian. How could I possibly love… Do I…? What about all the times…I've spent with her? I admit, this journey to discover her heritage wasn't entirely…well, openly…about finding just that. Deep down, I know…I wanted to know, to find out, if I…really did…love… But, what about her?'
Another part of his mind joined in. 'Right now, this isn't about her loving you. It's about you, to her. Think about everything that's happened to the two of you. Why do you think you longed to simply brush her hair away from her eyes? Why do you think you carried her back from the Jupiter Lighthouse – all the way to Contigo, no doubt – when you could have just Revived her there? Didn't you notice your behavior that day, outside Vault? You couldn't speak a sentence to save your life!'
'Yes, but…could that mean…wait, of course it…does… Of course…'
Felix bowed his head, gripping his hair as he mulled over the question and the inner battle over the simple, the true, answer.
"…yes…"
"Pardon?" Poseidon asked innocently, having not heard the response clearly.
"Y-yes…I do," Felix repeated, loudly, his head still bowed. "I…love her."
Within the much older Lemurian, a feeling of contentment filled him, and he sat back to enjoy the rush of pride, knowing that he had accomplished a difficult job for Felix.
"I…I love Sheba," he said to himself, lost in the words. His head lifted, and he gazed at the man across from him, and didn't bother questioning his knowing smile or happy shine in his eye. In all likelihood, Felix owed the Lemurian a hefty debt – he knew that he could never have fully and truly realized this alone.
"Excuse me a second," Poseidon said, closing his eyes. He accessed a small portion of his Psynergy, sending a message to one of his companions, who was waiting nearby. At the back of the large room, a curtain slide away.
There stood Sheba. She looked tired, but had clearly been given a dose of the same Vision Particles that Jacob had used. She slowly stepped out of the small annex room she was waiting in, and the Lemurian who was with her pulled the curtain closed as she walked into the Great Hall.
Reality came back to Felix as he saw her, and he leaped out of his seat, running to his friend. As soon as he reached her, he began plying Sheba with his famous questions of her condition, to which either a "Fine" or "It's alright" was the whispered response.
"Felix," Poseidon called, facing the young Venus warrior. "I believe you could use something of yours."
Felix turned to face him, and his eyes caught a shimmering in the air as an object flew towards him. He reacted, catching it, and quickly investigated it. He was pleasantly surprised to find the Teleport Lapis resting in his grip, shining with a luster that seemed to welcome him back.
"Some of my companions here," the Lemurian explained, "told me of your ship. I'm sorry about what happened to it, but you should know that we are making repairs to it already. It's early days yet, but soon, I'll be able to take it out to see Piers at Yallam. He can take it back there. I don't want to hinder your progress about the world, so please…accept your Lapis once more."
Felix smiled, not noticing Sheba's diverted gaze. "Thank you," he said, receiving a nod from the leader of the Sanctum.
"If you head out the door you came in, Felix, there is a room. Turn right as you leave this Hall, and make for the second door on the left. It will have a wooden door, and it will lead to all of your equipment. You will find everything you need there. With that, I must take my leave of you."
Again, Felix thanked Poseidon. As the man walked toward a white door at the back of the room, he paused at gazed at Felix.
"My boy…you should know that, in many matters…the foundation is the strongest point of interest."
Poseidon turned the door's knob, and fell out of the two Adept's field of vision.
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"I'm glad to see that he was telling the truth. Everything is here. I didn't even know they confiscated this!"
Felix rummaged through his belongings, locating everything he knew to be missing, making the discovery that anything the Lemurians had deemed threatening had been taken. He wondered aloud how his Douse Drop could have done any harm whatsoever, but the matter was quickly forgotten.
"Felix…can I say something?" Sheba began, returning her staff to the top of a crate in front of her. She heard the shifting of several items as Felix gently placed down one of his satchels, soon followed by the shuffling of his feet as he turned to face her. However, she didn't turn around, or even look up. She merely sighed, closing her eyes. She wouldn't wait any longer.
"In…in case you didn't know…the drapes they use here are…well, they are ridiculously thin, almost like a sheet of sand. Heh, I wondered how they were able to prevent someone seeing through them. But…see, I was in that little room the entire time you were speaking with the leader. I…well…Felix…"
"Yes?"
Sheba allowed her head to lift up, and she breathed in deeply, gathering her courage. "You did notice how…easily noise echoed inside that Great Hall, didn't you? Anything that sounded would sound again, it seemed, didn't it?"
Felix nodded, recalling the click of the red door as Orian had closed it behind him. The sound had ended only after Piers' uncle had first spoken to him.
"Yeah. See, Felix…because of that, I was able to hear…everything…that the leader said…and everything that you said…and I…" She trailed off, finally turning to face her friend. She locked her gaze with his, not daring to tear away.
"Did you mean it?" she asked simply, nervously swallowing at her dry throat.
Felix stalled, trying to think of a decent response for his friend. Rather, an excuse would be a more appropriate term, as he wasn't at all prepared to tell Sheba yet. Then, Poseidon's departing words drifted into his mind. "The foundation the strongest point of interest." This statement lead to Felix's recollection of the Lemurian's small speech, how relationships can build at the foundation. It seemed…the older man knew more that he let on.
"You know what I'm talking about, Felix, don't try to hide it. Just answer me. Did you mean it?" she asked again, agitated.
Felix, nervous, lowered his head as he considered his options. He had always been honest, so there was really only one answer. He opened his eyes, breathed to calm his faltering nerves, and nodded slowly, twice. He shifted his eyes to gaze at his Jupiter Adept friend, to find her with an unbelieving look etched into her features. Sheba blinked several times, and turned her head.
"I…" Felix began, looking up. "I know you probably can't understand why or how…but it is true…it's true, Sheba-"
Sheba made the biggest interruption of her life. In the middle of Felix's statement, she looked up at him, jumped forward, and pushed back his words with a fierce kiss.
Felix was taken aback, but only for a moment. Getting lost in the moment, he began to grasp her arms. He leaned into the kiss, using one hand to wrap around her back and the other to stroke the nape of her neck. As he returned the feeling, he began to softly stroke Sheba's golden hair, marveling at the feeling of how soft it was against his touch. Sheba sighed in her throat, enjoying the attention he was giving her.
After what seemed like several minutes – or it could have been days – to Felix, it may as well have been several lifetimes – they broke apart, still holding onto to each other tightly. Felix wanted to lose himself in her green eyes, as he had done before. Earlier, they shone – now, they radiated with such ferocity, Felix felt that the two of them could take on armies of the world and emerge unscathed.
No words were needed. The two friends spent the next several minutes in their firm embrace, rocking from one side to the other. Some time later, Felix realized they had to go, as their Vision Particle effects were beginning to wane. They quickly gathered their gear, smiling to themselves and to each other through the whole ordeal.
Once both Heroes of Weyard had recovered the last of their belongings, the field of white nothing had almost completely returned. Tightening his pouch's lines one last time, Felix held out a single item. The Lapis. He held it out to Sheba as though in an offering. The Jupiter Adept gently placed her hand on top of his, covering the stone. Once again, they embraced, and after another quick kiss, the two concentrated. Large blue pulses enveloped them, and their bodies began to disappear. Neither of them had to discuss where to go – they were as close as they could ever be. Their minds were one. Felix and Sheba knew where the answers lay.
At the Foundation.
End chapter 10
Author's notes: Well, well, well…it's about time, hmm? I love this chapter – it took me forever and a day to write it, since I'm still fighting writer's block right now. I am so-so-so happy it turned out so good. Heh, forget the Yallam chapter when I said it was the longest - this one beats it up and takes its lunch money. Over 7200 words in this chapter. I am...well, words can't describe how pleased I am. Oh, and I hope I answered many questions in this chapter. If anyone's still mildly to severely insane- er, I mean confused…yeah…just let me know, and I'll fill you in. Oh, by the way…the name, Orian, isn't pronounced like the Belt constellation in the stars. Or-ee-an, not Orion. Big difference, sorta.
Next chapter: You've wondered why chapter five is titled "The First Visit," right? Well, that will come full-circle next time.