Well... I really have to apologize for this. You know, it's really bad of me to be setting all these deadlines and them missing them by a day or two. Please don't hate me... I kind of just ran out of time last night, and the last thing I wanted to do was rush this chapter out when I wasn't happy with it yet.

Anyway, though... how many of you guys noticed the character list at the end of last chapter and immediately thought this one would involve a big, fluffy romantic moment between Mia and Isaac? Well, I hate to say it, but those of you that thought that are... well, I'm not going to say wrong, but you're certainly not right, either. You'll just have to read on and see what I mean by that... ;)

Review responses for once not out on time, but that will be rectified by tomorrow afternoon (remember how I said my next econ midterm was the 14th? That's tomorrow). Anonymous reviewer thanks for this chapter go out to xD and Maver1ck22. Now, here we go with chapter 14!

chapter fourteen
Mia and Isaac
suppressed emotion

The sky seemed to flash red as the great two-headed dragon's roars filled the air, the sound so loud that Mia felt she might go deaf if she was forced to listen to it any longer. The golden power of the Venus beacon flowed out from the hole in the aerie behind the creature, surely augmenting Isaac and Garet's powers but making it very difficult for her to cast her healing spells. Ivan had already collapsed to the floor of the aerie beside her, the earth-aligned energies in the air having long ago proved too much for the blond boy's wind-aligned mind and body.

And after such a long, drawn-out battle, Mia felt that she too was reaching her limit. But whereas Saturos and Menardi had been only human, and only been able to take so much punishment, the great white dragon that had been formed by the two of them combining their powers seemed to be able to take everything that Mia and her friends threw at it and more. Several yards in front of her, Isaac and Garet leapt to and fro, dodging the monster's massive swipes while retaliating with attacks of their own, but nothing they did seemed to make the monster even flinch. Even psynergy seemed ineffective against the dragon, the only spells appearing to have any effect her own water-aligned ones—spells she had little opportunity to cast since Isaac and Garet needed her healing from afar so often. After such a long journey, she was beginning to wonder if she and her friends had finally met their match.

There was no question in her mind that if this battle of attrition continued, they would lose. The great dragon's power, only amplified by the Venus beacon, was simply too great for there to be any other outcome. What Mia and her friends needed now, then, was a way to strike a final, decisive blow, one from which the dragon could not hope to recover. And she knew she had one, but she had been hoping throughout the battle that she would not have to use it and put herself at risk. Now, however, as the battle continued to drag on, it seemed to Mia that there was no other choice. What she was about to do could cost her, Isaac, Garet and Ivan their lives... but it could also very well win them the battle immediately.

And so, raising her hands, Mia closed her eyes and called upon her djinn.

She could feel herself weaken as each of her seven djinn disengaged themselves from her body, each of them turning into a blue ball of psynergetic light that swirled around her. The power of the earth filled the air, threatening to consume her senses as more and more of her own power left her. But she stood strong, knowing that if she fell now she would die. Isaac needed her... all of her friends needed her, needed this attack. She would not fail.

At last all of her seven djinn left her body, swirling around her, awaiting her command. She focused her power, sending a message to all of them at once. Instantly, every one of her seven djinn knew what they had to do. They formed a circle above her raised hands, spinning faster and faster as Mia raised her head and shouted to the heavens, calling upon the greatest of Mercury's agents.

"Come!" she cried, the voices of her djinn shouting with her, drowning out even the dragon's roars. "Boreas!"

At once a great surge of power flowed up from her chest and coursed through her raised arms, where it was amplified by her djinn to create a massive beam of azure light that shot into the sky. The beam remained for one second, then two. Then there was a flash, and the beam disappeared, leaving behind a great figure in the skies high above her. Boreas, the god of the north wind.

But whatever Boreas did to the great dragon, Mia would never know, for as the azure beam vanished, so did her strength. She collapsed to the floor of the aerie in a heap, no longer possessing the strength to even hold herself up, and the darkness quickly took her.

-----

When she awoke, it was to the sensation that there was someone standing over her. She blinked a few times, but was only able to make out a silhouette, the light of the sun behind the figure's head making it impossible for her to discern any details. But then she felt the power of the earth flowing not around her but through her, and she knew immediately who it was. The power coursed through her body, revitalizing her, and slowly she sat up to find Isaac's face before hers.

His expression had clearly been one of concern, of worry, but as she sat up he quickly realized she was okay and smiled at her, relieved. It was only for a moment, however, as once he realized she was all right he turned his eyes towards the Venus beacon, obviously to make sure the battle was still going in their favor. Mia followed his gaze, expecting to see the great dragon still standing before her... but instead all she found was Saturos and Menardi, back to their human forms, leaning on their knees in front of the beacon and panting heavily. A pool of blood had formed around the two members of the Fire Clan from various cuts and wounds on their bodies, and it seemed to Mia at that moment that anything stronger than a stiff breeze would knock the two over.

"We did it, Mia," Isaac said softly from beside her, causing her gaze to shift back to him. He was smiling at her, fondly. "Thanks to you... we won."

She couldn't help but smile back as she realized what their victory meant. They had defeated Saturos and Menardi... their quest was complete. They had succeeded in their mission. Two lighthouses had been lit, but no longer would the world be threatened by the release of Alchemy. After three months of hardship, it was finally over.

Isaac held out a hand, silently offering to help her up. She took it and stood up, looking to her side to find that Ivan was shakily doing the same with Garet's help. After a moment to determine that all of them were okay, the four Adepts slowly made their way towards Saturos and Menardi, intent on getting the Jupiter Star from them and ending their threat for good.

The two Fire Clan members looked up as they approached. But instead of the defiant expressions they had worn when they had been struck down for the first time, the looks on their faces now where despairing, helpless. Saturos raised himself slightly, staring at the four Adepts in shock. "H-how... how did this happen?" he asked, speaking to nobody in particular. Menardi followed his lead, raising herself slightly as well, looking towards the sky as though the reason for their defeat might be hidden in the heavens.

And then, before any of the four Adepts could speak, Saturos and Menardi fell backwards, into the lighthouse. There was no sound from either of them, no scream. Just a rustle of clothing, and they were gone.

Mia let out a deep breath then, turning to face her friends. It was over. Ivan was smiling weakly, still looking rather shaky from his collapse earlier. Garet was grinning like a maniac, looking ready to start jumping and whooping for joy. And Isaac... Isaac was once again smiling at her, fondly. She was about to smile back, but a voice disrupted her thoughts, the voice of Isaac and Garet's friend.

"So you've beaten them," Felix's voice came from the base of the aerie's stairs, the tone of his voice not conveying any particular emotion. The four Adepts turned to him, and found him staring up at them from the bottom of the staircase, the blonde girl named Sheba only a few feet behind him. As she stared at him, Mia couldn't help but feel a bit confused. She had expected the brown-haired boy to be grateful for ridding him of his oppressors... so why did he look so unhappy...?

It was Isaac who spoke first, stepping forward, his expression a mixture of joy and relief. "Oh, Felix, thank the gods you're all right," he remarked exhaustedly, setting his foot on the top stair. "Now we can finally—"

The sound of a sword being drawn stopped Isaac in his tracks. In a flash Mia and her friends were by his side, ready to protect their leader from any threat. Felix had not moved from his position, but his blade was out now, pointed towards his friend. "Don't come any closer," he threatened, his tone still surprisingly neutral. "I don't care if you beat Saturos and Menardi; I'll fight you if I have to."

Mia looked towards Isaac and could immediately tell from the look on his face that he had expected Felix's reaction as little as she had. "W-what are you doing?" he demanded, sounding shocked, hurt. "They're gone. You don't have to follow their orders anymore!"

"I'm not following orders," Felix retorted, his expression hardening even as the tone of his voice remained the same. "The lighthouses must be lit, and now that you've defeated Saturos and Menardi... the responsibility falls on me."

"What the hell are you talking about?" Garet demanded angrily, glaring at the brown-haired boy. "Why the hell would you—"

But the conversation never progressed any further than that, because at that moment there was suddenly a hideous, deafening crack, and the next thing Mia knew, she was lying on the floor. When she managed to get her bearings again and stand up, she was greeted with an astonishing sight. The lighthouse had split into two—no, wait, she looked behind her, and there were four pieces centered around the hole from which the light of the Venus beacon continued to rise, each of them separated from each other by at least twenty feet. She looked around at her friends, and as they rose she could see they were just as confused by this sudden development as she was. But before she could wonder what was going on, she caught sight of Isaac's worried face, looking in the direction where Felix had been only moments before.

She followed his gaze and found that Felix had been knocked onto a different piece of the lighthouse by the sudden split... and that he was leaning over the very edge of the aerie, reaching for something. Sheba. Mia's heart tightened as she suddenly realized that the blonde girl was nowhere to be found. Was she hanging on the edge...?

"Sheba!" Felix cried, his normal emotionless mask gone in an instant. He reached over the edge, stretching out his arm as far as he could. "Take my hand! Please!"

"I... I can't..." Sheba's voice came from over the aerie's edge. "I'm... sorry, Felix..."

"No! Sheba, don't you dare let go!" Felix protested desperately, hanging so far over the edge that Mia was afraid he might fall himself. "Please! You can't..."

But even though she couldn't see her, Mia could tell that Sheba couldn't reach. "Felix..." the blonde girl said, so softly that Mia almost didn't hear it. "Goodbye..."

And slowly, very slowly, Felix stood up, staring down over the edge of the aerie in horror—Sheba was gone. He stayed that way for a long time, trembling. Finally, however, he raised his head, screaming to the heavens.

"NO!" he shouted, in the most despairing voice that Mia had ever heard. "Sheba! I won't let you die!"

And he leapt...

And for a long time, the only sounds Mia could hear were the sounds of the wind blowing over the aerie and the pulsing of the Venus energies behind her.

No one moved. No one spoke. Felix's rash act of heroism had robbed them all of their senses, leaving them unable to do anything but stare blankly at the spot from which he had jumped, their eyes wide with shock and horror. Mia blinked, unsure of whether or not she should believe her eyes. No... it could not have happened, Felix couldn't have just...

It felt like several minutes had passed before Garet finally broke the silence, dropping to his knees helplessly with a heavy, ragged breath. "Felix, you goddamned idiot!" he bellowed at the top of his lungs, as though he felt his words might reach the brown-haired boy if he shouted loud enough. "What the hell were you thinking?" And with that, his eyes fell to the floor of the aerie, and he began stabbing into the stone with his sword, over and over again. "You—idiot..." he muttered as he did so, under his breath. "You stupid—idiot..." And he probably would have continued striking the ground until his sword was destroyed had Ivan not run over and intervened, holding the Mars Adept's arm back. At that Garet dropped his blade and covered his face with a hand, saying nothing, his breathing heavy and labored.

"We can still find Jenna," Ivan tried to reassure him, softly, though he didn't sound very certain. But Garet didn't even seem to notice that the Jupiter Adept was there.

Meanwhile, Mia hadn't heard Isaac make a sound beside her. But she hadn't turned to look at him yet, not because she wasn't worried about him, but because she was almost afraid of what she might see. She had always known that Isaac still considered Felix as a friend even following the events in Sol Sanctum, and she knew that he had always believed Felix would come back to Vale with them once Saturos and Menardi had been defeated. But now...

Slowly, hesitantly, she turned her head. Unlike Garet, Isaac hadn't moved. He was still staring at the spot where Felix had been standing only a minute before, his eyes wide and disbelieving, his breathing slow and shaky, and the expression on his face the most pained thing that Mia had ever seen.

She didn't think she would ever forget the look on his face...

-----

Night had long since fallen by the time Mia and her friends returned to the town of Lalivero, battered and exhausted. After descending the lighthouse, Ivan had suggested that the group try to use the rest of the day to search for Jenna, trying to make the best of a bad situation. But much to Mia's dismay, the search had proven fruitless—they had found neither hide nor hair of Jenna, Kraden, or Alex. It was as though the three of them had simply vanished, never to be seen again... and it was a discovery that hadn't had the best of effects on either Isaac or Garet's mood.

She was worried about Isaac—the poor boy hadn't said a word since they had left the Venus Lighthouse. She was a healer, one who had seen death before, and she had seen families deal with the loss of their loved ones in many different ways. But never before had she seen anyone react to another's death in the way Isaac was now. Whereas Garet had spent the entire day snapping violently at anyone and anything that annoyed him even in the slightest, Isaac seemed to have lost his ability to display emotions altogether. Only in his eyes could she see that he was feeling anything at all, a frightening mixture of sorrow, despair, and guilt.

But what could she have said to relieve his pain? She couldn't very well have asked what was wrong, because she knew the answer to that question and any attempt at appearing otherwise would have made her look like an enormous fool. And she couldn't have tried to tell him that everything was going to be all right, because she knew from personal experience that that was the last thing anyone who had recently lost someone wanted to hear. So what, then, could she have said? What could she have done?

They had immediately gone to see Iodem and Faran upon their return to Lalivero, but the two men had taken a single look at the state of their group and had told them that it would be better for them to speak tomorrow. Faran had made an arrangement with the innkeeper, allowing the four of them to stay the night free of charge.

So now Mia and Isaac sat in the lantern-lit inn room, Isaac on one bed, Mia on the other. It was dark outside, but Mia didn't want to go to sleep just yet, and it didn't seem that Isaac wanted to either. Neither of them was looking at the other. Isaac had been like this all day, his gaze unfocused, blank. Mia didn't want to look at Isaac, didn't want to see him in such a state. But as she sat there on her bed, she could feel the worry creeping into her veins once again.

She wanted more than anything in the world at that moment to help Isaac. She wanted to rip off his emotionless mask, to get him to let out all the pain and grief she knew he was hiding. But unless he actually spoke to her, that would never happen. So slowly, she rose from her bed, making her way over to Isaac. He didn't even look up as she approached. It was only when she was standing over him and spoke that he gave any indication that he knew she was there.

"Isaac?" she asked, very softly, uncertainly.

He looked up at her at that, slowly, and she once again was forced to see the pain in his eyes, the guilt. He stared at her for a moment, then his eyes widened in realization and he looked away. "O-oh... I'm sorry," he said softly, shakily, sounding almost as though he had done something wrong. He stood up. "I-I'll, er... I'll let you get changed..."

"Isaac, wait," she called as he slowly, almost lethargically started making his way to the door. He stopped then, and turned around. She stepped forward, biting her lip, unsure whether or not to keep speaking but knowing that her words had to be said. "I-is there... is there anything I can do for you?" she asked him, frowning worriedly.

Isaac looked away at those words, taking in a deep breath. "Mia..." he began, softly. He never once looked at her, almost as though he was trying to avoid her gaze. "I... I appreciate your concern, but..." He sighed. "This is something I have to deal with myself..."

Mia almost recoiled in shock. What had happened to the Isaac she knew so well, the Isaac that was always willing to let his troubles out to her? "Isaac, that's not true," she insisted, shaking her head, and he looked up at her again. "Please," she added, her voice barely above a whisper. "Just talk to me..."

She wished there was something more she could say than that, but there simply wasn't. She could only stare at Isaac helplessly, silently begging him to stop hiding his emotions, to let everything out to her. He stared back at her for a long while, indecision floating in his eyes. Finally, however, he took a deep breath, his gaze falling to the floor, and he spoke.

"I-it's just... it's been going through my head all day," he confessed. "I-I keep seeing him, and I keep—" He suddenly stopped. For a moment he was silent, his gaze fixed on his feet, but then he looked up, a helpless look in his eyes as he started breathing heavily. "I keep... asking myself if maybe... I-I could've stopped him somehow. I-I keep wondering if there was something I could've—"

"Isaac... please, don't," Mia softly interrupted him, her eyebrows arching in sadness and concern as she realized precisely why Isaac felt he had to deal with Felix's death himself. "Don't blame yourself for this..."

"But I could've," Isaac insisted, his tone almost angry now, the helpless look in his eyes intensifying. "I could've stopped him; I could've used my psynergy to—"

"You're making it sound like it was some sort of accident," Mia countered before he got going, her eyes still fixed on his. "But it... it wasn't, Isaac, and... you can't blame yourself for it." For a few moments her gaze fell to the floor, as she tried her best to determine whether or not what she was about to say was the right thing to tell him. Finally, though, she looked up. "What Felix did..." she began softly, "wasn't something we could've prevented somehow. It... it was something he would've done no matter what. None of us could've stopped him."

Slowly, Mia could see the self-loathing in Isaac's eyes melting away as his breathing slowed somewhat. "... Is that really what you think?" he asked her after a moment, very quietly.

She nodded, sadly, and her gaze fell to the floor once again. "There was nothing forcing Felix to light the beacons after we defeated Saturos and Menardi..." she explained, "but he told us he wanted to anyway. And there was nothing..." She trailed off for a moment, taking a deep breath, before looking up again and forcing herself to look directly into his eyes. "There was nothing forcing him to jump off the lighthouse. But... he wanted to do that, too." She paused for a moment, shaking her head. "What... what he did... it wasn't because of anything we did, or because of anything we failed to do. It was... his decision to jump after Sheba. Not anyone else's."

For a long while, Isaac was silent, staring at her. They couldn't have been more than a foot apart, and at such a short distance she could clearly see the emotion swirling in his crystal-blue eyes, a sadness so deep she almost wanted to cry at the very sight of it. Finally, however, he let out a deep breath, turning to stare almost wistfully out the darkened window. He was silent for another moment, but then he spoke, so softly that she almost didn't hear him. "... Why do you think he did it?" he asked.

Her gaze dropped a little. "... I don't know," she responded softly after a moment, truthfully. She frowned uncertainly as a single idea popped into her head, the only plausible explanation she could think of. "... Maybe he loves her."

He turned to her at that, and she looked up. She had been careful to use the present tense, careful to sustain the hope that maybe, just maybe, Felix might still be alive, but she could see from the look in his eyes that while he appreciated her gesture, he wasn't going to try and deny what they both knew was the truth. He stared at her for a moment longer, then sighed, shaking his head. When he looked at her again, she suddenly became aware of how heavily he was breathing, of how hard he was trying to keep his emotions in check.

"I really thought it was... over, you know?" he said quietly, frowning helplessly. "I really thought that he would..." Then he stopped, letting out a breath, his lips curling at the same time into what she could only call a mockery of a smile. "I'm sorry," he whispered after a moment, letting out a brief, almost self-deprecating chuckle. He was smiling at her, but she could see from his eyes that what he was feeling at that moment was about as far away from happiness as one could get. "I'm... being stupid, aren't I?"

It was a terrible thing to see, that false smile. She knew what he was thinking, what he had been thinking the entire day—that he had to remain in control, that he had to refrain from showing any weakness in front of her and her friends because he was the leader, because he had to be the strong one. But she didn't want to see him do that, not in a situation like this. She wanted him to let everything out to her, not because she wanted him to trust her, not because she wanted to see him in pain, but because she knew that at this moment he might very well lose his mind if he didn't.

"No," she finally whispered, shaking her head. "I... I don't think you're being stupid at all."

And then, for several moments, there was silence. Isaac stared at her for a long while, trembling, but still with that false smile on his face. She could see the pain in his eyes, could see the effort with which he was trying so hard to keep himself in control. But at that moment his smile began to falter, his mask began to crack. And she knew at that moment exactly what was about to happen, and exactly what she had to do.

And without thinking, she stepped forward and put her arms around him.

For a brief moment, Isaac went as stiff as a board. But then she felt him relax, felt him put his arms around her waist, holding her tight, almost desperately.

And then, for the first time Mia had ever seen him, Isaac cried.

He barely made a sound. Anyone in the hallway probably wouldn't have had any idea what was happening inside their room. But as she held him close she could hear his breathing sharp and ragged against her ear, could feel his sobs rack through her body as though they were her own. She simply held him tighter, silently assuring him that it was all right to let everything out. She didn't speak; there was nothing to be said. No words could make him feel better, not now.

She wished there was something she could do for him. She had always been the one he turned to when he needed help, had always been the one he spoke to when he was afraid, and she had always been able to calm him down, had always been able to soothe his troubles. But now, as she held him, she couldn't help but feel a sense of despair, of inadequacy. What could she possibly do to help him now? One of his lifelong friends had just slipped out of his grasp, and another had been lost forever. Would he ever be able to recover from a blow like this...?

And as she continued to hold him, continued to listen to his sobs, she soon found that she was crying as well—not for Felix, not for herself, but for Isaac. He was such an amazing person, Isaac—so selfless and considerate, so strong and yet so modest, and so committed to his quest even though the responsibility had been thrown upon him without his consent. So why, she wondered hopelessly, had something like this have to happen to him? What could he possibly have done that merited him losing so much...?

They were like that for some time, both crying silently, holding each other. It could have been a few minutes before they broke apart, it could have been several hours—it was impossible to tell. But eventually she could feel Isaac's arms loosen their hold on her waist, could feel the warmth of his body leave her as he pulled away, wiping at his eyes. Her own tears still had not ceased, and she could only watch with blurred vision as he stared at the floor for a long while, breathing deeply, gathering his strength. Finally he looked up, very slowly. For a moment she could see a look of thanks for her in his crystal-blue eyes, a feeling of gratitude so immense that words couldn't even begin to express it. But it was only for a moment, because as he caught sight of the tearstains on her face, his expression quickly changed, becoming concerned, almost scared. "You're crying," he whispered, his voice sounding almost guilty.

She wasn't quite sure what to say to that. Even after such a grievous blow, he still was more worried about her than himself. Part of her was truly touched, another part wanted to slap him and start shouting at him that it was all right to be concerned about his own well-being once in a while. But she did neither of those things, instead choosing to wipe her eyes and turn her gaze to the floor, the beds, the window—anywhere but his face. She didn't want to see that concern for her, not when there were so many more important things that he needed to be worrying about. "I'm sorry," she whispered back, sniffling. For what, she wasn't quite sure. All she knew was that she shouldn't have been crying, not now, not when he needed her support so badly.

For that very reason, his next words took her completely by surprise. "Why?" he asked softly, the question so unexpected that she lifted her eyes to his without thinking. He was frowning slightly, his expression confused, pained but at the same time the picture of innocence. "You don't... have anything to be sorry for."

It was hard to say what happened after that, mostly because her brain seemed to have stopped working for a few seconds. But at that moment her heart went out to him more than ever before, and she could feel a powerful emotion swelling in her chest, her love for him suddenly and inexplicably intensifying to a point she had never thought possible. So great was this sudden rush of affection that she actually had to consciously restrain herself from stepping forward and kissing him right then and there—it was as though some invisible psynergetic force was pulling her lips towards his. But she knew the situation was hardly appropriate, and so she had to be content with simply staring at him silently.

For a long while, neither of them spoke. They just continued to stare at each other, both of them unsure of what to do or say but at the same time not wanting to break eye contact with the other. It was Mia that finally broke the silence, with a question she wasn't quite sure she should ask at that moment. "Are you... going to be all right?" she asked, her voice barely above a whisper.

At those words his eyes finally left hers, falling to the floor. "I..." he began softly, but then he stopped, letting out a sigh before looking back up at her. "I'll be okay," he reassured her. The way his lips curled as he said those words wasn't quite a smile, but the feeling behind it was genuine this time.

With the sudden surge of affection still warming her heart, she had to resist the urge to blush at his words. She simply stared back at him, smiling very slightly, unable to think of anything to say.

It was only for a moment, however, because a second later Isaac turned away, letting out a breath. "Well," he said slowly, awkwardly, as though part of him didn't want the conversation to end, "I should let you get changed."

And he began making his way to the door. He had only gotten halfway there, though, when he suddenly stopped, seeming to think about something. A moment later he had turned to her again, his expression almost nervous. "Mia?" he asked, very quietly.

It was a few seconds before she replied. "Yes?"

Had the circumstances been different the expression on his face then would have been enough to make her melt into his arms. "Thank you," he said softly, looking directly at her. She could see from his eyes that he wasn't just saying those words out of routine, that he truly meant it, and that her gesture of sympathy had meant so much more to him than words could possibly say. "For... everything."

And with that, he left the room and closed the door, leaving Mia with a strange mixture of sorrow, pity, and love coursing through her veins.

It has always bothered me how little attention the heroes of the first Golden Sun pay to Felix's "death." Now granted, this is most likely because Felix doesn't actually die, but the four Adepts have no way of knowing that, and as such the actions that they take following Felix's leap from the lighthouse can't be thought of as anything but mind-boggling. Isaac doesn't say a word (well, okay, he never does), Garet hears Jenna's name and immediately forgets about Felix entirely, and Ivan and Mia suddenly turn into insensitive pricks and remind Isaac that he's going to be the one who'll have to break the news to Jenna when they find her—as though the poor kid hasn't already been hit hard enough. As you probably saw in the beginning of this chapter, I threw all that out, simply because the four Adepts' actions in-game were simply too out-of-character for me to even consider including them in my story.

Now, maybe it's just me, but it's always been my belief that Isaac and Garet never thought of Felix as evil, and that he was still the same Felix he had always been—just that Saturos and Menardi were forcing him to do their bidding by threatening Jenna. As such, I can't see why Felix's decision to jump after Sheba could've been anything other than devastating to Isaac and Garet, and I really wanted to reflect that in the events of this chapter—both in the conversation on the aerie and Isaac's breakdown in the inn.

This chapter actually marks the first time in my career on this site that I've written the end of a chapter before the beginning—I usually can't write in anything other than sequence. Believe it or not, the end of this chapter—and the idea for Isaac's emotional breakdown—had been sitting around in my documents folder since November. Given the content, I can't really expect you guys to have "enjoyed" this chapter per se, but I hope that you felt it was well-written, and I would appreciate it very much if you let me know what you thought of it in your reviews. Make sure to tell me if everyone's in-character, especially Isaac—I'm not sure how you guys are going to feel about his reaction to Felix's death.

But anyway... one look at the character list for the next chapter and I think you'll know immediately what's going to be happening in it. ;) To top it off, the 24th marks the beginning of my spring break, which means I'll have plenty of time to go over this next chapter and make sure it's absolutely perfect—I've been building up to this moment for almost a year and a half, after all. I know from your reviews that you guys have enjoyed the ride as much as I have, so I hope you'll stick around for the finale. :) In the meantime, though...

Please review!
-TheOneAndOnlyT

next chapter: Isaac and Mia (both perspectives)
expect next chapter by: April 9