Chapter III- Tests of Courage
Author's Notes-The stuff in italics are flashbacks, k? ^_^ And in the flashbacks, all the peoples are all like 6 years old, but alex is like 10 or 11, and in Issac's flashback he's 14. Oh yeah, and I upped the rating to PG-13 because in this chapter Ivan kinda wants to kill himself…tell me if u think it should be higher or lower…
Disclaimer: I own Golden Sun. Really! Really! ::::security guards come to take her away:::: NO! I REALLY OWN THEM! ::::guards glare at her:::: ok, fine! I don't! but I own allamir and the mars clan kiteria! Woohoo! And of course I own the plot and the flashbacks and stuff. grin
Issac was the first to reach the town gate. "Who goes there?" A small window opened up face-level in the giant steel gate.
Issac straightened and spoke clearly. "We are travelers seeking the advice of the Fire Adepts."
There was a prolonged silence. "You're seeking the advice of the Fire Adepts?" There was what almost seemed like a nasty chuckle.
Issac frowned. "Yes, we are. Is there a problem?"
There were sounds of a scuffle inside, and someone yelled, "You imbecile! You nearly gave it away!"
Then a deeper, strangly familiar voice intonded, "Come it, travelers. If you seek the Fire Adepts of The Kiteria Clan, you have found them."
"Kiteria? Isn't that an evil fire clan? And wasn't that voice Satur-" Ivan had just enough time to whisper before he was cut off and the immense gates swung open, and a fiery exploshion hit them head on.
~*~
Mia came to in a burning chamber. At first she thought she was dreaming, but soon realized the horrifying reality when her hand brushed the advancing flames and was instantly scalded.
She stiffled a shriek as the wall behind burst into flame and collasped as the fire licked hungrily at the wood.
Most people would have been exceedingly frightened in this situation, but for a water Adept it was especially terrorizing. Fire was the enemy of water, and even water could put out fire,fire was strong against water and vice-versa.
Mia shuddered and tried to put out her hand to use Douse, but as she did the flames roared suddenly and grew above her head. Finally, she was backed up against the wall, with nowhere to run and the inferno coming closer every second. As she searched frantically for an exit a beam tumbled from the ceiling of the room and struck her hard on the head. Everything went black….
A small blue-haired girl began to smile again as her mother summoned the little fairy that the elders of Mercury Clan called "Ply." The gash in her leg quickly healed as her mother worked her healing magic. "Is that better, Mia?" The woman asked? The young girl nodded. "That'll teach you not to go turning puddles to pillars of ice and go climbing on them again!" The mother scolded. Mia giggled. "I was only practicing my powers 'n stuff." The mother chuckled softly. "That certain power is called Frost, Mia." The girl grinned and skipped out of the house. The Mercury Clan resided in a town called Marineo, which was warm but had a pool fed by a river, which the water Adepts enjoyed greatly. "Alex! Alex, are you in there?" Mia shouted into a small cavern which a voice could be heard. A aqua-haired boy emerged. "Mia! Look what I found!" Mia stared aghast at the small blue creature with the pink feet. "It's so cute! What's it's name?" Alex blushed. "Well…uh…I caught it for you. Would you like it?" Mia grinned and hugged him tightly. "I'll call it Fizz!"
The two children looked up in surprise as the ground seemed to shake. "What's happening?" Mia shrieked, as they were thrown to the ground. She saw a column of ash rise into the sky, and suddenly fire was falling from the sky. Mia screamed and clutched at Alex's hand. "Alex…what's going on?" Alex looked puzzled. "I..I don't know." Mia ran toward her house. "Mommy! Daddy! Fire is falling from the sky!", but stopped, horrified, to see that her house was engulfed in flames, and neither of her parents had escaped. She stood there like a statue until Alex caught up with her and dragged her into the cavern where they would be safe.
"Where will we go now, Alex?" Mia's voice trembled.
"We'll go to Imil. That's where your grandparents live, right? They can take care of us."
The blackness faded from Mia's vison. She remembered. She remembered it all. She would not be afraid of fire. It would not conquor her as it had conquered her parents and the rest of her clan.
"Fizz! I release you!" She yelled, calling upon the dijinni that had been with her through it all.
Mia stood tall even as the flames got higher and higher, an endless pool of strength. Fizz felt her confidence and sprayed water as he had never before.
Then the fire was gone. Mia had conquered her fears.
~*~
Garet awoke to the warmth of a sun beating down of him. He smiled, soaking up the rays. "I'll get a nice tan to impress Jenna…" He thought dreamily, never stopping to wonder why the heck he was on a tropical island. The next moment he was jerked awake by the sound of morbid howling. "What the?" He muttered, but his legs, not being connected to his brain, were already running as fast as they could. But the creature, whatever it was, was gaining on him.
He panted and gasped as he neared the edge of the island. To the left, a thick jungle blossomed, mostly think vines with numerous sharp thorns. To the left AND the north was water, and to the south was the beast. It looked somewhat like a mauler, but MUCH faster and stronger. Garet gulped and stared at the dead end.
Garet couldn't swim, and never had wanted to. Being a Fire Adept, it was not exactly his wish to be a swimmer or even to be near a large mass of water.
He cast a nervous glance back at the big mauler-like thing, and closed his eyes, meaning to close them only for an instant, but he was soon lost in blackness.
"Can't catch me!" The auburn haired-child shrieked as she ran down the wooden stairs to Vale's plaza.
"Can too!" Garet shouted at Jenna, who was by now far ahead of him.
It was early morning, and the two young children had escaped from their confining houses to play Jenna's favorite game, tag. Garet secretly despised this game because he always lost; Jenna ran like the wind, but he would do anything to please Jenna, one of his two best friends.
He finished dashing down the steps and eyed the deserted plaza. "Jenna? Jenna, where are you hiding?"
A giggle escaped from the Psynergy stone in the middle of the lake. From his position, Garet caught a wisp of auburn hair peeking out from behind the stone.
"Hey, stones can't laugh! I found you, Jenna!"
Jenna giggled again. "You haven't yet! The jump over to the stone is a big one! Mommy won't let me jump it, but she's not here now. So see if you can do it and catch me!"
Garet was never one to turn down a challenge. "I can do this easy." He boasted, when really, he felt quite squeamish inside.
Jenna stuck out her chin. "I don't believe you, Mr. Smarty Pants. You're too chicken!"
Garet groaned inwardly as he looked at the expanse of clear blue water between him and the stone. His fire spirit had already made it's appearance in that he was terribly afraid of water.
Taking a deep breath, he jumped…
SPLASH!!!!!
"Garet! Garet, are you ok?" Jenna managed to stop laughing to ask.Then she began to look worried. "Garet! Are you ok?"
Garet could not get up. He looked up, at the sparkling surface of the water, and tried to grap at it, but the water slipped through his fingers. His fear of water then overpowered him and he shrank back, trying to get away from the horrible feeling of wetness.
He couldn't breath. Air! Air! He screamed silently. His six-year old brain knew enough to know that if he didn't get air soon, he would drown.
He suddenly set his jaw in anger. He was from Vale, a protector of Psynergy. He could do this!
He swam with strong strokes up to the surface and a anxoius Jenna.
Garet pulled himself out of the lake and tackled her.
"TAG!" He yelled happily.
Garet opened his eyes and returned to the sunlight, and the water, and the monster.
He felt very odd, so strong and confident in the face of water…
But he knew he could do this. Heck, he'd done it before. Breathing in deep, he plunged into the water and swam.
Water…water…water… The mesmiring blueness filled his mind, threatening to pull him down into the depths.
Then Corona popped out. "C'mon Garet! You can do it!" Garet's confidence was suddenly renewed, and he swam the remander of the way to the next island.
Garet collasped onto the hot yellow sand, and passed out from exhaustion. His last thought before drifting into sleep was, "At least I'll get a tan from all this…"
~*~
Ivan woke
to see he was in a room filled with…people?
His heart suddenly went cold.
The two people staring back at him were strangers, but seemed so familiar!
"Mom? Dad?" He whispered.
The woman smiled back at him. "Ivan…we've waited so long…"She murmured. She was beautiful, with long black hair with purple eyes. She wore a silky-looking purple dress.
The man was tall and foreboding looking, but his eyes were warm pools of gray. He had Ivan's dirty blond hair, but his was cut short. He wore a gray tunic with blue pants and he had a sharp shiny sword stuck in his belt. "Ivan, my son."
Ivan let out of cry of delight, and ran to them, hugging them close. "I thought you were dead…but it was just a bad dream! You're here! You're alive!"
His mother smiled sadly. "No, Ivan."
He looked up at her face. "What?"
"No. We are but shadows, remnants of your past. We are here for your test."
"Test?" Ivan's voice cracked. "I don't want a test! Why are you doing this to me?" He slowly backed away from them.
"Ivan, please.." His mother's eyes told him she was sorry, but he didn't care.
"Why are you torturing me like this?" He screamed, using force psynergy to slam into the wall, letting out his anger.
His parents disapeared, at the same time he spotted a dagger.
"Perhaps…perhaps I should end it all." He whispered to himself. Then, for some reason, he closed his eyes, and was lost in blackness…
"Mom! Dad! Guess what?" The cheery six year old ran into his parent's home in Lama Temple. "I read someone's mind!"Ivan's mother smiled. "Your powers are beginning to reveal themselves."
"So I might be able to do other things too?" The excited boy questioned.
"Sure? Why not?" His dad's gruff voice sounded from his workshop in the basement. His father was an weaponsmaker and blacksmith.
Ivan grinned. "Wow! This is so cool!"
Two months later…
Ivan waited silently outside his parent's room. "When can I see them, Auntie Hama?"
Master Hama sighed. "I'm afraid you can't, Ivan. They are too sick, and I don't want you to catch it!"
Ivan hung his head. "Ok, Auntie Hama…"
"If only we had a healer in the temple, they might survive…But the plague is too strong." Master Hama mumbled to herself…
In the morning, Ivan quietly crept into his parent's room. "Mom? Dad?" He whispered, and was startled to see his parent's faces so white.
"Ivan…" His mother reached up to touch his cheek. "I'm so sorry we have to leave…" Suddenly his mother stiffened, as she did when she was prediciting the future. "You will meet us again…but…do not give in the the dagger! Don't give in Ivan! Don't…give…in…" She trailed off. Then his parents were gone…
Ivan slowly opened his eyes and looked at the dagger in his hand. He held for what seemed like forever, just staring at the cold blade that whispered of death.
Then he put the dagger down.
He would not give in.
~*~
Issac squinted his eyes. The rain was spattering into them, making it hard to see and muddying his tunic. He stood up awkwardly, looking across the large gap in front of him. The only way across was to step on a boulder… He looked behind him. The sand he was standing on almost seemed to be falling away…making it hard to stand. He had to cross.
But there was a boulder…It brought back so many memories. He only had to close his eyes and he would be there…
"Issac!" His mother yelled. "Go help Jenna find someone with Psynergy who can help Felix!"
Issac and Garet nodded, realizing the urgency of the situation.
Hurrying across the bridge that led to the plaza, Issac caught a last glimpse of his father, holding a rope he was trying to throw to Felix.
"C'mon Issac! We have to find help!"
Issac turned from his father's feeble efforts and ran across the bridge…
15 minutes later…
The nightmare. It had to be a nightmare. His father wasn't dead. Jenna's mom and dad weren't dead. Felix wasn't dead." He could feel himself shaking and he wanted to just break down and cry, but held himself in. It was a struggle.
"Issac! You have to get help!" Garet's exhausted voice gasped in his ear. He nodded and ran off toward the town plaza, erasing all thoughts of what had just happened and concentrating on running.
Then he heard voices. He didn't understand all that they said, but all he knew was that they were the ones who had released this storm. They were the ones that had caused all this destruction. They were the ones…who had killed his father.
He went for them, and Garet joined him, always loyal to his friend.
But he wasn't strong enough. He couldn't stop them, just like he couldn't save Felix or his dad…
Issac stared at the boulder. He jumped…
And it started rolling. In another second he would be crushed…
But he drew on his courage and leaped for the other side, pushing off hard with his legs on the rock.
He had made it. And maybe one day he would avenge his father too.
~*~
Suddenly, Mia, Issac, Garet, and Ivan's surrondings all melted away. They found themselves all in a large stone chamber, with pictures of flames on the red walls.
Menardi and Saturos were there, looking very unhappy, with what look oddly like a god…
"You have passed the test." The odd being said in a deep voice.
AN: Well, that was longer wasn't it? I hope it was long enough… I'll try to make the next chap not so angesty…I mean, everyone's parent's except Garet's died in this chapter… Next chapter will be up soon! PLEASE REVIEW! ^_^
