Chapter turned up to 11

Progress

IOE: Hey, everyone! Welcome to chapter 11! I wonder if anyone's still reading this…? It's frustratingly become a kind of summer-only kind of thing…sorry. DreamAdept, thank you so much for remembering this fic again! I'm so glad you liked the new chapter. bente-unerz, thank you for taking an interest in my fic! Wait…love square? I don't remember adding another pairing…. Fehize, you're right, these are slightly based off of Sirens (I did some internet research)…in fact, I wanted to call them Sirens, but they don't sing and it makes me sad. You're enthusiasm for my story makes me feel sooo good! :D

Feizhi: You're 16 years old, and you can't write a good fic.

IOE: I'm 16 years old, and every day something happens to me.

Feizhi: Please don't sing that song.

IOE: So, I speculate that the boy who looks like Garet on the DS promo art is a descendant of Flameshipping. He looks like Garet, but his hair is Jenna. My thoughts. Anyway, I don't really have a plan for this chapter, so I hope it goes OK.

Flotsam: Disclaimer: Ignira of Esperon, the author of this fanfiction, does not own Golden Sun or the Fantasticks, which is her favorite musical. She's very, very happy that there will be a third one she could waste her time on, if only she could afford a DS. But she just bought a 360, and a DS would be for only one game, not all the new Halos she wants to play.

IOE/Feizhi: SHUT UP!

Flotsam: And Feizhi…guess what I was singing last chapter! "I'm on a boat!" This author doesn't own that, either!

IOE: On with the damned fic!

---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Isaac dreamt of Mars Lighthouse before he was awoken by an amazing amount of aching, burning, and stinging pain from his muscles and his shoulder in particular.

He dreamed about journeying with Felix's group for the first time, about watching Karst and Agatio die, and about almost killing his own father in order to save the world. After carrying his father down from the lighthouse, he could swear he saw the remains of a Warp for an instant. Suddenly, he was in Vale. In horror, Isaac turned to Mount Aleph. Alex stood at the top, bathed in a golden light. Isaac didn't know what else to do; he ran as fast as he could towards the mountain. Perhaps if he hurried…

And then he woke up and gasped. The pain hit him in full force, and he almost cried out, so terrible it was. After some moments of absorbing the pain and attempting to get used to it, he looked around. He was lying shirtless on a bed with white sheets. The room was circularly shaped and small. The walls and ceiling were made of wood. Beside him, sunlight came in through a window. He could hear birds chirping. The window's white curtains blew in the breeze, which felt good on Isaac's face. There was a closed door to Isaac's right. From the other side of it were city noises and chatter. At the foot of the bed was a table, on which various bandages and potions were placed. He wondered how he got here and how bad his wounds were. Bandages were placed here and there on his chest. His shoulder was wrapped in bandages. The pain radiating from it was incredible. Isaac reached over and cast Potent Cure on it. It felt a little better.

He put his head back and stared at the ceiling. He sighed. Apparently, he'd managed to survive the she-monster in the river and hadn't drowned. He remembered his vision, hallucination, whatever it was, of watching another Isaac suddenly free himself and manage to make it to the little island where Ethan was. Isaac wondered if Ethan had saved him. He looked out the window and watching tittering birds fly in and out of a tree. He wondered how long he'd been out.

After some time of thinking and staring at whatever he could see without raising his head, he heard footsteps. Isaac turned his head. The door opened, and in stepped Kiri with a tray of food. Her big, shiny eyes met his and she opened her mouth in happy surprise.

"Kiri."

"Isaac!" she shouted, and set down the tray and ran to hug him. Isaac winced, but before he could tell her to let go, she removed herself. The Uranus Proficient beamed at him.

"How long have I been asleep?" he asked.

"A day or two. You were in pretty bad shape when we brought you in. I…wasn't sure you were gonna make it," she said, and her smile vanished.

"How are you feeling?" she asked.

"Not well, but I'll be okay with some more rest and healing, I think," he replied.

"Is there anything I can do for you right now? Want me to get a Healer?" she asked. Isaac shook his head.

"I can heal myself," he said, "but I'm pretty hungry. What's on that tray?" He pointed to the one Kiri had set down. She fetched it and set it on Isaac's lap. He gingerly sat up.

"It's seasoned fish from the river and some water. It was supposed to be mine, but you can have it. I'll get my own lunch. Oh, and I have to tell everyone you woke up!" she said, and hurried out of the room. Isaac was left alone with his fish. He grabbed his knife and fork and attacked his lunch. He finished it quickly enough to achieve Garet's admiration. It was delicious. Isaac gulped down the water and licked his lips. He was still hungry.

He heard voices get close to the door and it opened again. Kiri reentered with another tray, and a brunette in a white dress draped with bead and charms followed. Kiri made her way around the bed and sat on it, careful to avoid sitting on Isaac's legs. The woman approached him and looked him over.

"I'm Penette, a Healer," she said with a smile. Isaac guessed she was in her mid-thirties. He felt a little awkward, being shirtless, but wasn't a stranger to things like this. He recalled waking up in a similar fashion after Colosso, and Mia, though blushing furiously, examining his wounds. He remembered blushing furiously, too, but not necessarily feeling uncomfortable. He pushed the thought from his mind; it made him miss her and home too much.

"I'm going to remove your bandages and take a look at how you're healing," said Penette, and removed the tray from Isaac's lap and set it on the floor. She instructed him to lie down, which he did. Most of the wounds on his chest were healed, so Penette didn't bother reapplying the bandages. She gently removed the bandages on his shoulder. Isaac grimaced. It felt like parts of his shoulder were missing. He prayed this wasn't so. Fresh pain shot from his shoulder in hot, angry waves. Once the bandages were gone, Isaac could see a hideous wound on his shoulder. It was livid purple and red, and stretched from his collar bone all the way across his shoulder. It was long, ugly, and the middle was round and wide, larger than his hand. It was definitely going to leave a scar.

"We had to remove the monster's teeth from the wound before we could start to heal it," Penette explained, "So it's bigger than it was, though it was pretty big to begin with. That monster really did a number on you, you know; you're lucky your shoulder's still attached. Skin, tendons and muscles were pretty torn."

"And there was a lot of blood," added Kiri, who looked a little nauseous. Isaac, feeling just as sick as Kiri looked, whished that they would stop describing how gruesome his injury was.

Isaac heard someone enter the room. He looked up to see Ethan stride in and stand beside Penette. Once Penette noticed his entrance, she seemed to hope that if she worked quicker and quietly, she might not be noticed. She pulled a white and purple flower Isaac had never seen before out from her pocket.

"Mend," she whispered quickly, her purple aura swirled, and passed the flower over Isaac's wound. Golden sparks issued from the flower, like magical pollen. The pain lessened some more, and the wound seemed a little less purple. She put away the flower and quietly told him to turn over on his stomach. Isaac began to carefully turn over, so as to avoid as much pain as possible, but she pushed him. What the Hell? he thought as he groaned into his pillow and she began to remove another bandage. A horrible monster in his shoulder was stomping about.

"Careful," said Kiri.

"Penette, let me help you," said Ethan, giving her a smoldering look. This only seemed to distress her.

"No!" she squeaked, tore off the rest of the bandages, said Isaac ought to be fine with some more rest, and quickly scampered out of the room. Kiri began to help Isaac turn over, but he waved her off, and gingerly, slowly, managed to turn over. He rubbed the aching muscles in his chest and winced. The monster was joyfully stomping about the inside of his shoulder, slowly sinking its teeth into his tissue. Kiri set down her tray on the floor.

"Ethan, you scared Penette. Now it'll take even longer for Isaac to heal," she scolded. Ethan ignored her. He looked serious, and, Isaac was pleased to see, guilty.

"What happened?" Isaac asked.

"I woke up and saw you lying unconscious with the Oceanid dead beside you. I saw that you didn't have much time and called for help," he replied.

"I'd been Floating around, looking for you, and I heard Ethan. I set down on the bow of the ferry, and Floated you guys and got you on the ferry. Once you guys were on board, I Struck the river. The Oceanids were killed instantly by my lightning strike," Kiri said, beaming with triumph, "The storm left with them, and then I did what I could to push the ferry to shore with Psynergy as quickly as possible. Ethan and I rushed you here, and we fetched a Healer, a Saturn Adept."

"Those monsters are called Oceanids?" Isaac asked. They both nodded.

"They breed during this time of year. They send storms on ships, then push them to their breeding grounds, it is guessed, then sink the boat, and drink all of the passengers' blood and take their possessions," explained Ethan.

"She was going to drink my blood?" asked Isaac, horrified.

"She was in the middle of it. And she was going to drink my blood above the water so as not to waste a drop or attract the others. You see, she didn't want me just because I'm a handsome man," said Ethan, and Isaac resisted the urge to roll his eyes at Ethan's narcissism, "but because my blood is very precious. I'm the descendent of Ilzero, one of the most powerful Proficients and rulers Erutun has ever seen. You saved me, Isaac."

"So to repay you, Ethan's going to travel with us. I told him about what happened to you and about how we need to collect bleesed items from each of the sacred shrines in order to send you back home. So, you just rest for a few more days, you know, make some more blood, and we'll get on our way to finding that scale the kid told me about, and then on to Uranus Lighthouse," said Kiri.

Isaac remembered now about the scale. He nodded. Ethan looked thoughtful. He pulled something out of his pocket and showed it to Kiri.

"The Oceanid was wearing this. It gives off Psynergy. I wonder if it's what you're looking for," he said. Kiri held it up.

"Oh," said Kiri, "It's a necklace with some fish scales inside a vial strung on…it could be."

Isaac felt like an idiot; all this time, he'd thought Kiri meant weighing scales. He sighed and said nothing.

"When the Oceanid used it on me, I remember, I could breathe underwater," Ethan told him. Isaac recalled the Oceanid casting some Psynergy.

"Then that's the scale!" said Kiri excitedly. Ethan put the necklace on. Isaac felt a surge of relief that one obstacle was overcome; he'd had his doubts that they would find the scale.

"So, you'll help me reach the shrines and return to my world?" Isaac asked Ethan.

Ethan nodded. Isaac was surprised that the Neptune Proficient simply accepted this strange story. Feeling that all that needed to be said was said, Ilzero's descendent quickly pranced out.

"Penette, my darling!" he called.

Isaac and Kiri exchanged looks. Isaac's stomach growled again.

"I'll get you some more food. If you're going to eat like this for the next few days, I hope the cook won't mind," she said, and beamed at him again. The little Uranus Proficient picked up the trays and, as she left the room, Isaac thought that while he missed his home and his companions terribly, he was glad he wasn't so alone in this strange world.

---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

"Master Hamma, I'm drained," said Mia. She wiped sweat from her brow and listened to the student's breathing. His chest was cold. His breathing was a little labored, but he would be okay.

The Mercury Adept looked to the Lama temple's master. She was surrounded by several Mercury Djinn and a Jupiter Djinni (Mia guessed it was Breath). The woman's sweaty, tear-streaked face was illuminated by the orange glow of the candlelight. Parts of her purple hair clung to her face. Her eyes had dark circles under them. Mia imagined that she herself probably looked the same; they'd been up all night. Mia felt deep sympathy for Hamma; she must've felt so much guilt for what had happened. The students had been fading in and out at first, but with all of the healing they were doing all night, their conditions were stable with a fair amount of improvement. Mia imagined that every time it seemed like the students needed more help or they got sicker, Hamma was stung with more guilt and remorse. The way the woman looked now was so worn, so weary and filled with self-hatred, such a contrast to the normally cool expression on Hamma's gentle, serene face that it was sad enough just to look at her.

Master Hamma seemed not to have heard Mia say that she was drained of Psynergy, or, perhaps in this state, didn't want to hear her. She was bent over, so focused on the students before her, so defiant to death yet so exhausted, that it seemed she didn't want to hear it. Mia decided not to repeat herself.

"I'm going to get some blankets. They seem cold," she said, and stood up. Master Hamma said nothing. Mia stretched. It felt like she'd been bent over for a year. Her muscles ached. She yawned as she ascended the ladder. She was exhausted. She reached the top and walked around in the dark. She was certain the blankets were on the west wall…how could she have forgotten to bring a candle? She could hear the soft pitter-patter of her delicate footsteps on the hardwood floor. It creaked in some places. After some feeling around on the wall, Mia was certain she was fondling some blankets. She yawned again and walked back to the trapdoor, feeling with her bare feet on the cold floor until she was certain she'd found it. The Imilian got down and carefully climbed down the ladder with the blankets in one arm, which was more difficult than she thought it would be. Her heavy Imilian robes were a bit of an impediment.

When she reached the bottom of the ladder, she carefully headed to the closest student, lying on a mat on the floor. All of them had fallen asleep hours ago. The Mercury Adept set down a blanket on him and spread it out evenly. She stroked his face with her soft, pale hand, and moved on to the next student, the one she'd been healing before she was tapped. After him, she approached Hamma with the remaining blanket. The Jupiter Adept was watching Breath heal the sleeping student. Mia heard her sniffled a little. Mia waited for Breath to finish, and then laid the blanket on the student.

"Thank you, Mia," said Master Hamma in a hoarse whisper. It broke Mia's heart when her eyes met those watery, sad, violet eyes.

There were footsteps from above. Mia nearly jumped in surprise. If it wasn't Felix and the rest, it was bad news, considering Mia's Psynergy was drained. She felt herself and Hamma getting tense.

"Sister? Mia?" Ivan's voice called. Both women breathed a sigh of relief.

"Down here, Ivan!" Mia called back. She heard things being set down and unbuckled upstairs. They must've been setting down their equipment and weapons. One by one, the rest of the group clambered down the ladder. They all looked exhausted. They sat down quietly, so as not to wake the sleeping students.

"What happened?" Mia asked. Felix was holding his sister in a gentle, elder brother sort of way. Garet sat beside them, head tilted back (was he sleeping?). Piers had taken over for Hamma, who sat against a wall with her concerned brother, who brushed some hair out of his sister's face. Nathaniel, looking very pleased with himself, was playing with something in his hand. Sheba was asleep, curled in a ball on the floor, Breath hugged to her chest. The sight of the little Jupiter Adept was endearing.

They told her and Hamma about what they'd found in the cave and the battle. Mia was horrified by what they described about the fight; she'd seen many things that were chilling in her travels, but she'd never had rotting limbs thrown at her. It almost made her sick to think of it. She was mystified by the secret sanctum or temple they described.

"I'd been feeling while I was down there a lot more…I don't know…aware, more connected," recounted Nathaniel, "And I didn't know how much longer either I or Felix was going to last, so I concentrated…and I was able to Cast."

He looked like he was trying not to seem as overwhelmingly pleased with himself, but it was obvious to Mia how proud and pleased with himself the boy was.

Felix shook his head.

"I was so surprised. If it hadn't been for Nathaniel," he told Mia quietly, "we might not have won. I've never seen Psynergy like Nathaniel used. It's nothing like the Mercury Psynergies I've seen Piers, you, or Alex use."

Nathaniel seemed now to be half proud, half shy. He stared at his feet.

"Way to go, Nathaniel," said Garet, who apparently hadn't been sleeping, and tousled the boy's blue hair. Nathaniel smiled, but knocked Garet's hand away.

"So then I woke up, and Nathaniel and I managed to get Piers up, and he used Cure Poison and Ply while Spark, Tinder, and Quartz Revived, and eventually, we were all in better shape," said Jenna.

"We then searched for anything valuable. The place looked like it'd been sacked before it was abandoned, so we didn't expect much. All we found was this, hidden behind a secret panel," said Nathaniel, and he held up what he'd been playing with. It was a solid gold little tree branch, a little golden glimmer in the boy's hand. Mia frowned and cocked her head.

"It has Psynergetic power, like the Burst brooch or the Teleport Lapis gives off, but none of us can use it. It doesn't make any sense," said Ivan. Nathaniel pocketed it.

"Are we keeping it?" asked Mia. Felix nodded.

"Yeah. You never know," said Jenna sleepily, repositioning herself in her elder brother's arms. She rested her auburn head on his shoulder.

"Then Jenna and I burned all of the corpses. It was really the best we could do for them because we couldn't risk this happening again if we…reassembled them and gave them a proper burial. Then, we headed back to the entrance of the cave, Felix made it cave in, and we made our way back here," finished Garet.

"Well, this whole time, we've been working on the students. They're doing better, but they aren't healthy yet," sighed Mia. She suddenly felt the brunt of her fatigue, and almost nodded off right there.

"Are we…sleeping down here…?" she said sleepily. Her eyelids felt heavy as lead. Mia remembered she usually had her own room when she was only traveling with Isaac, Garet, and Ivan. Once Sheba and Jenna came along, there was sharing, which never bothered Mia. Gender separation was ignored, however, in certain circumstances, such as exhaustion. Mia was also too tired to change into a nightgown at the moment. She considered that it was way off on the ship, anyway.

"Most of us should sleep upstairs," said Nathaniel, and he got up and climbed the ladder. Mia was reluctant to rise, but she followed him up the ladder. The Mars Adepts and Felix followed them.

The rest of the Djinn had been waiting upstairs. The Mars Djinn provided light. Nathaniel grabbed a bunch of blankets and tossed them around. Mia made little effort to set hers up like a mattress, lay down on her blanket, and closed her blue eyes. She fell into a peaceful sleep instantly.

---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Mia's eyes fluttered open. It took her a moment to remember where she was. The Mercury Adept was tired, but she knew that if she tried, she would not fall back asleep. She turned over on her other side to see if anyone else was awake. All the other Adepts upstairs with her were still fast asleep on their blankets on the floor. Most of the Djinn had turned into their smaller, orb-like forms, but the few Djinn that had stayed in their typical forms, possible to be ready in case something entered the temple while everyone was asleep, were making sweet little tittering noises in their sleep. Garet and Jenna were snoring loudly. Nathaniel's face was the only one visible to her.

She gazed at his young face, in such a peaceful expression it was. His eyes were gently closed, his breathing slightly lowering and raising a little strand of silver and blue hair. Mia thought about the mysteries surrounding Nathaniel. She wondered where he came from. Mia thought she'd been all over the world, but Piers had been, too, and he didn't recognize Nathaniel's denomination of Mercury Psynergy. She sighed, and quietly got up so as not to disturb anyone.

Mia tiptoed out the door or the temple. She took in the temple's outdoors. The surrounding mountains looked majestic and handsome in the morning light. Estimating by the amount of sunlight, she guessed it was mid-morning. The rays of sunshine twinkled on the pond nearby. Mia deeply inhaled the fresh morning air and began to take a stroll, but then she heard Felix softly call to her. She turned to him. He stood at the door to the temple. His hair was mussed and he looked exhausted and, she suspected because he might have had a bad sleep, slightly disgruntled.

"Yes?" she answered quietly, hoping she didn't wake anyone inside. Jenna and Garet were heavy sleepers, she knew, but Nathaniel might not have been.

Felix approached her. His clothes were torn in many places, and very wrinkly. He was holding his Sol Blade. Traces of bad odor clung to him. Mia wondered if his scent was partially the cause of his grumpy demeanor.

"I'm going to hunt breakfast. We were low on food on the ship anyway, and we all need our strength after yesterday," he told her. Mia nodded.

"I'll kindle a fire," she said, and smiled. Felix nodded and walked off.

After collecting some twigs and branches from nearby trees, and gently waking a Mars Djinn and asking for its assistance, Mia had a lovely fire going. She considered that Hamma and her students were vegetarians, and so set about picking edible berries from the trees and shrubs nearby that she could find and placing them in a bowl she'd found in the temple. Once Mia was certain she'd picked enough, she set the bowl down and rested in the grass. It was getting hot now, and she was aware that her clothes probably smelled some. She wished that she could head back to the ship and get her clothes, but she didn't want to alarm Felix should he return without her waiting. After some time, she decided to take a little stroll like she'd planned earlier. Mia followed the path of the mountains surrounding Lama temple for a little while, and then turned back. She returned to find Jenna and Garet lying together in the tall grass by the fire. Jenna sat up and looked at Mia. She waved.

"I assume Felix is hunting?" she asked. Mia smiled and nodded.

"Thank Mars. I'm absolutely starving," said Garet, "even though I just ate a ton of berries."

Alarmed, Mia looked over at the bowl of berries she'd prepared. The berries she'd picked were all gone. There were tongue streaks in the leftover juices. She almost wanted to cry. Jenna seemed to put together what had happened, and smacked Garet.

"You asshole, you ate them all!" she scolded him. Garet made a sad face.

"Gee, I'm sorry, Mia," he said sheepishly.

"Please don't fight," said the Mercury Adept gently, "I'll just see if I can pick some more before Hamma wakes up."

"I'll help you!" declared Jenna, and she quickly tried to get up, but fell on Garet. They both laughed, and Mia chuckled a little. Jenna rose and pulled up Garet, and then she sent him back in the temple to fetch another bowl.

"Once we fill the bowl again, we'll take it down the trapdoor for Hamma and her students to eat," said Mia, and she sighed, "but the students need more attention. We ought to bring them with us to Kalay and see if we can't get better meals for them to restore their strength properly." Jenna nodded.

As Mia led Jenna to where she'd been picking earlier, she saw Jenna glance at the tongue stains on the bowl and giggle to herself.

---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

After breakfast, it was decided that Ivan, Hamma, and Mia would teleport ahead to Kalay with the students and Ivan would make appropriate arrangements for them. He, Mia, and Hamma would stay in Kalay because Mia was the most experienced healer out of all of them, and Ivan wished to keep his sister company as she watched her students' health.

"Besides," said Mia, "I'm sure you can figure out what happened to Isaac without us."

"But please bring news to us as soon as possible if you get any," Ivan added.

Meanwhile, the rest of the group would press on in the search to find the Order of Olympus.

Once they all headed to the ship, everyone boarded, save for Ivan, Hamma, Mia, Teleport Lapis in hand, and the students, who were laid carefully on the ground below the ship. The Adepts on the deck of the ship waved farewell as a multicolored swirl of lights engulfed the smaller party on the ground, and then disappeared.

The remaining Adepts then spent the rest of the day making their way to the appropriate river route to Kalay. Eventually, they left the boat on a river bank not too far off and started on foot for the merchant city in the distance. The Djinn remained on the ship, whining that they had to stay onboard. The party ignored them. Garet and Jenna complained of hunger, and, because it was midday, thirst. They were given the same amount of attention as the Djinn.

"Couldn't we have gotten a little closer to the city before we got off?" asked Garet. Jenna, not following the rest of the group's policy, replied:

"We might attract unwanted attention. We want to get all the information we can as quickly as possible, without people bothering us or the ship."

"I have pointy hair that stands a foot over my head," snorted Garet, "And I'm one of the most normal-looking people in our group. How much more attention could we possibly attract? Townspeople are always gonna gawk at us." Jenna shrugged, smiling, but Felix did not look amused. No one remarked.

After some time of walking and thinking, Jenna wondered aloud to no one in particular:

"Do you think Isaac's ok?"

She hoped no one could detect that her voice was shaking a little.

---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Kalay was a flourishing city whose borders had expanded since Felix had last visited. Stone buildings and merchant stands stretched a fair distance in every direction. Pedestrians and horse-drawn carriages crowded the cobbled streets, and shouts of vendors and various merry conversations filled the air. There were exotic food stands, artists, fortunetellers, musicians, silk sellers, tattooists, outfitters, blacksmiths, and bards. Many of the sellers and performers incorporated Psynergy into their work. Sheba and Jenna watched an old woman who was selling exotic cacti use Grow on barren pots to make plants erupt from them. There was color, merriment, and art everywhere. This made it difficult for the party to catch any glimpses of Ivan, Hamma, or Mia. In order to avoid the crowds, Felix expected that Ivan and them had teleported into Hammet's castle. Not knowing where the castle was, Felix felt lost, and so Garet, who had had a more thorough exploration of Kalay the list time he was there, led the way.

"Look at all these people using Psynergy! Is this because of the Golden Sun? And what's with all these shops and stands? Is there some sort of festival going on?" asked Garet, sniffing at a nearby stand that seemed to only sell seasoned rolls. The bearded cook, who seemed to have a singed beard because he was using Mars Psynergy to heat his rolls, gave him a hopeful look. Jenna asked him if today was a holiday. The tall, lanky, black-haired man shook his head, and offered her some of his rolls. Garet bought the two of them some and ate the steaming rolls appreciatively as the group continued down the streets.

Eventually, they made it to the front steps of Hammet's palace. It was three stories high and constructed in a geometric architectural pattern. The gray stones it was built of glimmered in the sunlight. At the top of each tower was a golden onion dome shape. Geometric patterns adorned with jewels bordered the large, oval-shaped, glass windows. It was a magnificent sight.

"Wow. Business must be booming. This was a nice mansion before, but now…" said Garet in awe. Two turbaned guards at the large, golden doors ordered them to halt and state their business. When Garet explained, they remembered his face and allowed the group to enter, but eyed their weapons. Felix, who didn't wish to depart with his Sol Blade, was grateful that the guards did not ask them to remove their arms.

Inside, the polished wood floor was furbished with handsome red carpets. Tapestries with bold colors and intricate patterns, along with vividly colored oil paintings and portraits decorated the halls.

"This stuff wasn't here last time, either," said Garet, admiring a Gondowan landscape painting.

Felix heard footsteps on the stairs and looked to the stairs to his right to see Mia emerging from upstairs.

"Oh! Hamma and Ivan said you were here! Follow me," she said, and they ascended the staircase to the next floor, followed the corridor, and then entered a large room with a wide window and three beds in it. There were piles of food set on tables. The people in the room seemed to have been waiting for visitors, because they looked not at all surprised when Felix and his companions entered the room. Beside the nearest bed stood Hamma, Ivan, a bearded Healer, and two turbaned guards beside a regal-looking, beautiful woman with fair skin and blazing red hair. Felix guessed by her expensive-looking, purple, embroidered dress and the way that she carried herself that she was the queen, and, by the fact that her belly protruded from her, bulbous in comparison with her otherwise slender figure, that she was quite pregnant. Each of the students had their own bed, and was dozing beneath the white sheets.

"Lady Layana, you're pregnant!" exclaimed Garet in pleasant surprise.

The red-haired woman smiled warmly, her crimson eyes glinting with pride. Felix, Garet, Sheba, and Piers wished her congratulations.

"Lady Layana," said Ivan, gesturing to Felix and his companions, "This is Felix, his sister Jenna, Sheba, Piers, Nathaniel, and you've already met Garet."

They all bowed or curtsied to the queen.

"Ivan and his friends were just explaining to me why you are here, and what happened at his sister's temple. Hammet is still rebuilding Vale. He has already sent word of what happened to Isaac. When I learned of it, I was shocked. I cannot say that such strange people have passed through this town, but we have so many merchants and people coming through each day, and I rarely venture out of the palace because there's so much work and responsibilities I have to take care of, and the pregnancy…. I'm sure that if you ask around, however, you might find people who have seen them, especially since plenty of the people here travel," said Layana.

"We should start asking around immediately," said Garet.

"I'm sorry we had to meet under these unhappy circumstances, Lady Layana," said Piers. She smiled.

"Waste no more time. You may go," she said. They bade farewell and left the Healer, Layana, her guards, Mia, Ivan, and Master Hamma behind.

Out in the open again, Sheba said:

"Alright, let's split up. Wait…you know what would be more helpful? Ivan and his sister's mindreading powers ought to help. I'll go fetch them."

She disappeared into the palace. Shortly after, she returned with Hamma and Ivan. It was decided that once the group had an idea of whether the cult had passed through, and if so, where they had gone, then Ivan and Hamma would stay behind in Kalay with the students. The group split up and spread out into different parts of the city.

----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Ivan and Garet were roughly in the middle of Kalay, and speaking with every store and stand in their way, so long as the line of customers wasn't terribly long.

"Ivan, Kalay's so different from last time I was here! What happened?" asked Garet as they headed out of a shop where the owner, who had a thick accent that was hard for Garet to understand, had given them no useful information.

"Since the Golden Sun rose, there's been a burst of culture. It's especially noticeable in this part of the world because Kalay, as a merchant city, interacts with many different cities. Society has more purchasing power, a higher standard of living, newfound interest in art, science, and history…" replied Ivan, who trailed off as he considered which street they ought to take next. They veered left and headed towards the nearest stand, which was a silk saleswoman who looked like she was from Xian.

"Why?" asked Garet.

"Only guesswork," said Ivan, "But I can assume that because the reintroduction of Alchemy to the world reintroduced Psynergy to the general populace and allowed for the earth to regrow itself (like what we witnessed in Lalivero) that people started to wonder what was going on and those who had the resources did their research, which allowed them to reconnect with their much more cultured and vibrant past, you know, the time before Alchemy was sealed when civilization and culture flourished. So, now that Alchemy's been unsealed again and they are finally reunited with their past, civilization is picking up where it left off."

He sounded so much like Kraden that it was eerie. Garet asked the silk seller about the cult while Ivan read the minds of passersby. As they continued on, Garet burned with more questions for Ivan. After a few more stops that were unhelpful, he asked:

"But, it hasn't been that long since the Golden Sun rose. Wouldn't a process like the one you described take longer, like decades?"

Ivan thought a moment. He continued walking. As the crowd got thicker, it was harder to keep the short Jupiter Adept in eyesight. Garet wondered if, considering Sheba, shortness was a common factor in Jupiter Adepts so that they could be swifter, more agile, but then considered how tall Hamma was and how Feizhi was of average height, and discarded this theory.

"Well, recall the first time we visited Lemuria?" Ivan asked.

Garet nodded. They had been overjoyed to finally see Lemuria, but it hadn't been all that Garet had imagined it would be. The place felt like time was a crawling snail, and all was dull, boring, and lifeless. They had been careful not to say why they were there, thanks to Ivan's clever Mind Read that revealed Lemurian opinion of Babi, and explained to anyone who asked (which was everyone) that they were there looking for another group of Adepts that they knew had a Lemurian with them, which was partially the truth. Not only had they been treated with suspicion and rudeness by a fair number of townspeople because they were outsiders, including the Lemurian senate, but they discovered that the draught had run dry and the replacement, which had been underway for decades, was not yet ready for consumption. They pleaded with King Hydros for Babi's life, but he explained that recently, the senate had managed to gain more governmental power, and would never allow for the draught to be delivered to Babi once it was finished, which wouldn't be soon. The group couldn't have waited anyway; they had had to pursue Felix. They had to return to Tolbi to explain their failure. And, on top of it all, when they had finally returned to Tolbi, Babi had passed on. It had been too late.

"It was a disappointing first visit to Lemuria, to say the least," said Garet sadly.

"Lemuria was in the middle of a decline, wasn't it? The people were bored, no new buildings had been made for centuries, and there were only two children in the whole town," said Ivan.

"Right," said Garet, "But things seemed…better when we returned to get Piers so he could help us find Isaac. Less slow, less…dead." It was the only way to describe it.

"Right. The civilization's cobwebs, were, say, dusted away. Since Lemuria doesn't yet trade with the outside world, it couldn't have met with other cultures like Kalay does, but there was obviously more vitality. Somehow, I think the Golden Sun is responsible for this. It allows for culture to thrive, too, not just the earth. It rejuvenates all aspects of Weyard," said Ivan.

As they asked around a few more streets, Garet mulled over what Ivan had said.

"So…because Alchemy's back, more art is being created and stuff? More kids are being born, more people can use Psynergy?" asked Garet after some time, thinking he mostly understood Ivan's theory.

Ivan shrugged.

"Basically…yeah," he said.

"Cool," said Garet. Ivan shrugged again. Then, he lifted his head, as though he was trying to hear a sound from far off.

"Sheba's nearby," he said, "And she's managed to get some information."

"Finally," said Garet, stretching, "'cause we got goose egg investigating this part of town."

Ivan led him west. After some time, they reached the edge of town. They were by the Karagol Sea now. The docks were busy with crates, boats and people. It was a bigger setup than the one, small dock for the single ferry Garet remembered from before. Salty, sea air met his nostrils.

Sheba and Jenna were sitting on a fence facing east. They waved to Ivan and Garet as they arrived. Jenna lazily kicked out her legs and let her head loll back. Her auburn hair swept left and right, glimmering in the sunlight.

"What'd you guys find out?" he asked them. He tried to sit on the fence next to Jenna, but she chuckled and told him the fence might not be able to hold him.

"The cult's been through," reported Sheba.

"Oh?" Ivan asked. Sheba nodded.

"They used the ferry," Jenna said.

"They used it to get to Tolbi a few days ago, and they haven't been this way since, as far as I've learned. I checked everyone's minds, but this area's so busy…" said Sheba, biting her lip.

"So, we go to Tolbi next? Last time we were there, that city was the largest in Gondowan. It must be pretty big by now…we might not be able to find where they went from there," he said.

"Yup," said Jenna, "Or maybe they're from Tolbi."

She leaned very far back and kicked out her legs again. Worried that she would lose balance, Garet walked to the other side of the fence, just as Jenna started to wobble, and, just as she started to fall backwards, he caught her.

She was hardly heavy in his arms. She beamed up at him.

"Hey, my Hero!" she grinned. Reluctantly, he helped her regain her place on the fence, and started to walk away, but then he felt her hand on his arm, and froze. He turned to see her stretching out from the fence.

"Hey, ya get it? 'Cause you're a Hero? You know…like I'm a Justice? Yuk yuk yuk?" she asked, but then started to wobble dangerously again.

"Whoa!"

He swiftly grabbed her arm and put her back into place.

"Jenna, if you can't keep your balance, why don't you just stand up and save yourself the concussion?" giggled Sheba.

"No, I'll just stand behind her," Garet said quickly.

"Felix, Nathaniel, and Hamma are nearly here," said Ivan. They all looked east, but couldn't make out either Felix or Master Hamma, who were much taller than Nathaniel.

Garet's heart raced as Jenna gently repositioned herself and leaned against his chest. He looked down to see her head of shimmering, auburn hair. He could feel her weight on him, feel her head lift as she looked up at him. His heart was thumping so loudly, he wondered if she could hear it. She yawned and smiled lazily.

"Tiiiiredddd…" she said. He smiled back. Her stomach growled.

"And hungry, too, huh?" he asked. She nodded.

"Me, too," he said, and dared to rest his chin on top of her head.

"We should buy food. I haven't had anything since the rolls you got me. Thanks, by the way," she said, "They were good."

"We should've nicked some from that room in Layana's palace. Hmm," he said, and shifted his head to the right, inhaling Jenna's scent. Sheba caught his eye, and gave a roguish smirk. She knew. He was embarrassed, but too reluctant to move, so did nothing. He could feel his ears turning red when Sheba pointed.

"There they are!"

He stood upright, and Jenna's head left his chest. He immediately missed her weight on him.

"Fe-lix!" she sang out.

He didn't look from Jenna's head to Felix and Hamma until Jenna jumped off the fence and ran to her brother. He looked up to see Felix striding towards them, carrying several food items. Hamma and Nathaniel trailed behind him, smiling and eating.

"Thought you all would be hungry," he said, smiling warmly at his sister. Jenna snatched a bunch of steaming kabobs greedily and scampered back to Garet. Grinning, she handed him a handful and bit into four kabobs at once. He grinned back, and did the same, but they burned his tongue. Jenna, however, inhaled her kabobs in record time. Garet gazed at her in awe, but then her tongue fell out of her mouth.

"Haaahhhh…." she said, tongue smoking. Garet and Sheba giggled. Felix, who seemed to have been expecting this, immediately shoved his canteen into her empty hands. She guzzled down the water.

Once everyone finished eating, they thanked Felix.

"So, now we go to Tolbi," said Sheba, sighing.

Garet was about to complain. He made to exchange an exasperated look with Jenna, but her head was bowed.

"How much longer do you think this is gonna take?" she asked. Her voice broke. Instinctively, Garet put an arm around her shoulder, and she put her head on his shoulder. He felt he understood that she was letting Isaac's disappearance get to her. After he heard a sniffle, he gently guided her away from the group, who looked concerned. He gave them a reassuring look, and walked with Jenna along the fence. The sun was setting now. The Karagol reflected the setting sun's orange glow.

"I'm sorry, I just…we don't know what's happened to him, and we don't know where they are, and we don't even know," she said in an unusually high voice, "i-if they even know what-what's happened to him. And…"

She was burying her face in his shoulder, and they stopped walking. He could feel her tears falling. Her breathing was shallow. He put his arms around her and held her.

"This had been bothering you for a while, hasn't it? You've been acting carefree, but deep down, you're worried outta you mind, right?" he asked her. She nodded and he heard a sob.

"Jenna," he said, not sure exactly what he was going to say, "I'm his best friend. You're his best friend, too. Ivan, and Mia, and Felix, and all them care about Isaac, too. That's why they're here. That's why they're trying to find out what's happened to him, where he is. We're all worried, and none of us know what's going on. But I swear, we're gonna find those bastards."

She was shaking. Her hands were balled into fists, holding onto his shirt, which felt very damp.

"I-I'm so sick of losing people…you know?" she sniffed. He held her even tighter.

"So, OK, I di-didn't…lose Felix, or my parents…but I thought I did. There was a hole inside, you know, and then…then it was like they came back from the dead when we were all together again. And…and," she choked, "And now Isaac…and I-I don't know if I'll be so lucky this time. And to me, he's…I mean, he's…"

She trailed off. His hands wanted so badly to stroke her hair, her back, but they remained stiff. He wanted so badly to tell her so much, but it was the wrong time, and he couldn't lie to Jenna and say he was completely confident that Isaac was fine, wherever he was.

"Jenna," he finally said, "Isaac's seen and fought a lot. He's faced enemies more powerful than him and beaten 'em, he's looked death in the face countless times, but he's made it. Because like you, he's strong, brave, and he never gives up. Knowing Isaac, I think it'll take more than a couple of creeps to bring him down. So now, we've gotta find him, wherever he is, and get him back."

"How do you know?" she sobbed.

"I know Isaac. I've known him for a long time, I've fought with him, and I've traveled with him. That's all I need to know, and it has to be. He's alive, Jenna," he said softly, "We just gotta find him."

"Hmm," she said, and she stopped hanging onto his shirt, and wrapped her arms around him. After a moment, she said:

"You're my best friend, Garet. Thanks."

He squeezed her a little tighter.

"I know it's not easy," he said, and she let go. Her face was puffy, red, and wet with tears. Some damp strands of auburn hair stuck to her face. She smiled at him. She'd never looked so beautiful.

She sniffed and wiped her face. He wanted to stroke her face, too, but he didn't dare. She smacked herself.

"Ugh…emotional overload…I'm so sorry. Oh, Mars, and everyone saw me lose it, too," she said, laughing, "And I totally just soaked your shirt."

"Yeah," he laughed, "I'm a little chilly now."

"Sorry," she said again, sniffing and drying her eyes.

They walked back to the group. They all looked concerned, but didn't ask anything. Jenna made a beeline for Felix and hugged him. He gave Garet a thankful look, and then hugged his sister back.

"Ivan," said Master Hamma softly, "We didn't try this because you've never tried, but I think that, considering Isaac's been missing for days, we should try it. Jenna's right; we don't know how much time he has left."

"Try what?" Garet asked.

"While you and Jenna were gone, we discussed the possibility of scrying," replied Ivan.

"Well, the three of you guys are really experienced Jupiter Adepts, right? Why not do it?" asked Garet.

Sheba bit her lip.

"If we've never done it before, we might not be able to focus our energies and find him. We could just keep finding the wrong people," she said.

"And we could accidentally…kill the people we find. Scrying's tricky, and it's hard to be successful if you're not used to doing it. Sheba and I have never tried it before; we just know the theory. We could accidentally attack them if we don't keep our powers under control when we scry them," Ivan added.

"What if we don't scry Isaac? Why don't we scry the Order of Olympus?" piped up Sheba.

"It couldn't hurt if you guys kill them," Nathaniel said darkly.

"Ivan, you and Sheba are highly experienced and powerful Jupiter Adepts. While I doubt that we'll find the Order on the first few attempts, I'm sure you can control your powers, and I'm certain we'd be able to find them eventually with me guiding you," said Hamma.

Sheba looked to Ivan.

"Should we try it, then?" she asked him. He nodded. She jumped off of the fence and they both strode to Master Hamma.

"You should probably do it in a more private spot, where you'll attract less attention," Felix spoke up.

"Yes, and there are less distractions," agreed Hamma, "Let's leave Kalay and do it in the woods."

"The last ferry leaves soon. I hope we're successful in time," said Ivan, and the three Jupiter Adepts left.

"Should we follow them?" asked Piers.

"I'd kind of like to see what it's like to scry," said Nathaniel with interest.

"I don't know," said Jenna, "I wouldn't want to distract Sheba or make them feel pressured."

"You're right," sighed Nathaniel, and so they waited. Garet kept anxiously stealing glances at the docks; how soon would the last ferry leave? Felix, Nathaniel, and Piers went to buy tickets. Jenna and Garet were left to wait by the fence.

They were both very bored. Garet kicked loose stones across the road while they put their heads together to discuss all that they had heard about scrying and theorized what it would be like to scry.

Suddenly, Jenna hugged him tightly. His stomach lurched. He inhaled her scent and hugged her back.

"Thanks for earlier. I'd forgotten that I wasn't the only one here close to Isaac. It was…I dunno, selfish of me, I guess. And, you know, thanks for having fun with me this whole time. It's made this whole thing bearable and…kinda fun," she said.

He smiled, and was about to say something that he considered sweet in reply, when he spotted Sheba returning.

"Am I interrupting something?" Sheba asked, grinning deviously. Jenna pulled from Garet, smacked her, and hugged her.

"Find 'em?" she asked, and then pulled away. The Wind Sorceress nodded.

"Eventually. We kept picking up on the wrong stuff, like dung beetles (easily mistakable for those creeps, right?), but we got them in the end," the Jupiter Adept replied with a triumphant smile.

"Where're Hamma and Ivan?" asked Garet.

"They went back to the palace. I sent a telepathic message to the Djinn and told them to fetch the ship. Hope it goes smoothly, but it'll be pretty entertaining if it doesn't," she giggled.

Just then, Felix, Piers, and Nathaniel returned. Sheba repeated everything she'd just told Garet and Jenna.

"Sheba, was it wise to ask the Djinn to pilot my ship on their own for the first time over a highly populated city?" Piers asked crossly. Sheba pretended not to hear him.

"We should board the ferry now, or it'll leave without us," she said, and she and Jenna sprinted to the docks.

"We'd better go!" exclaimed Garet, and he followed them. Nathaniel raced ahead of them, tickets in hand, and stopped at the ferry. He handed Garet, Sheba, and Jenna their tickets.

They all boarded the ferry not a minute too soon. Shortly after they were all onboard, the ferry departed from the shore. The sun had almost completely set. Garet, Sheba, and Jenna stood at the dock, gazing at the water. He told them about the adventure he, Isaac, Ivan, and Mia had had on the Karagol last time he'd been on the ship, about the mutiny on board, the monsters, the Kraken, and Crossbone Isle.

"That sounds so cool," said Jenna enviously when he'd finished, "And much more eventful than when Saturos and Menardi took us."

"I'm jealous," said Sheba.

"Don't be," Garet laughed, "Half the time we were seasick because of all the crappy rowing below deck, and the other half of the time we were afraid that the monsters were going to sink the ship and drown us."

He turned to Sheba to ask her what it was like to scry, but she'd walked away. It was dark now. Jenna leaned over the side and looked westward. The sea air whipped her long, coppery hair about her beautiful face.

"Sheba says they're in Tolbi," she said over the roar of the wind and the waves. He held his breath as he reached for her hand. She let him hold it, and then hugged him again. He hugged her back, and whispered into her wild hair:

"He's close, Jenna. We'll find him."

---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

IOE: (stretches) OMG, that was a bitch and a half to write. This chapter simply took forever. And I'm not happy with the Flameshipping I wrote. My finger huuuuurts. Tell me whatcha think, guys!

Feizhi: (pouting) Nathaniel was barely in this chapter!

Flotsam: I'm on a boat!

IOE: Woman, I have like over eight characters to deal with. Cut me da slack. Thank you for reviewing last chapter and please keep reading! It make-a me feel happy! (dances) Consider checking out my other GS fics because I'm very proud of them, and continue to enjoy your summer! See ya laterses!