So many of you have said that this story is kinda depressing. GOOD! That means I'm getting an emotional reaction out of you people! ^_^ A warning though: this story's going to continue to get darker as it goes (trust me, it'll all come together later).

Garet, Jenna, Ivan + Sheba (bursting in through dorm room door): Wait a minute!

Me: o.O What are you guys doing here?

Jenna: We have a bone to pick with you, author girl!

Ivan: How come Isaac and Mia get all the make out scenes?

Me: ! I don't know what you're talking about…(swiftly shuts dorm room door and locks it)

Garet (rapping on said door): Come on outta there, Midnight! We want in on some of the action!

Sheba: You've got four other characters with romantic needs too, you know!

Me (timidly from within): Actually, it's five with Picard. Will you guys pipe down? It's 3AM and you'll wake my neighbors…

All: WE DEMAND MAKE OUT SCENES TOO!

Me: -.-;;; The RA is not going to like this. Anyway, on with the show…

Disclaimer: I don't own Golden Sun, but if I did I'd speed up getting the Lost Age translated!

*The Descent*

The sound of the waves crashing on the shore filled the air. White foam washed up against the rock on the beach where Isaac sat. He was watching Mia as she waded into the sea, holding up her robes to try to keep them dry. The rolling waves got them wet anyway, but she didn't care. She had a look of complete ecstasy on her face as she stood there in the midst of her element, the surf splashing her and the ocean breeze carrying the strands of her long blue mane in all sorts of wayward directions. She turned back to Isaac and laughed playfully as another wave bumped against her. He couldn't remember ever seeing her so happy, and that made him happy in return. A wide smile spread across his face as he listened to her laugh and watched her twirling around in the water.

"Come on, Isaac!" she called to him. "Don't just sit there—come and join me! The ocean feels so good!"

"All right," he laughed. He got to his feet and met her halfway to where she'd just been standing. No sooner had he taken her hand than the turquoise water suddenly turned bright red. At first Isaac thought it was caused by the sunlight, but then realized that it had turned to nighttime.

"What in the world…?" Mia asked, looking around. "What happened?"

"I don't know," Isaac replied. "Let's go find the others to be safe."

She nodded in agreement and followed him out of the oddly tinted surf. Just as they got to the point where the waves stopped stretching across the shore, he heard her cry out. He instantly turned around to see. She'd tripped over a rock on the beach and a large gash had appeared on her leg.

"I can be so clumsy," she said.

Isaac went to her, smiling slightly, and cast Cure to heal the minor injury. But instead of healing the gash, his Psynergy burned her skin. She let out a cry of pain and he jumped back in astonishment.

"I'm sorry!" he exclaimed. "I don't know what happened—I only cast Cure!"

"Don't worry," Mia said calmly. "It's not that bad." She began to cast Ply to heal it herself, but the burn on her leg suddenly started to rapidly spread all over her body. Her anguished cry thundered across the beach as her lily-white skin continued to be charred to black. In a panic, Isaac tried his powers again but they only made her pain worse. He stood there watching in helpless horror as her skin was seared to black and flaked away. Her flesh, hair, and organs soon followed, and then lastly her bones, until all that remained of Mia was a pile of black ashes.

Isaac stared at the cinders in stunned disbelief, unable to form any kind of coherent thought. Unblinking, unmoving, he saw the sea wash up and carry the ashes away. The red water left a trail in the sand that looked exactly like blood. Mia's blood. The whole ocean was made of her red blood.

A sinister laugh brought Isaac out of his horrified stupor. He looked up to see a large black blob floating in the sky. It was puffy and rippled like an ordinary cloud, but it had a pair of narrowed and glowing red eyes that stared down at him. As it laughed, it also revealed a huge red mouth with a jagged outline to look like long teeth.

"What are you?" Isaac demanded as the shadow chortled at him. "What do you want?"

"Only to see you suffer!" it cackled. It shot out a long black tentacle, which twisted around Isaac's neck, gradually squeezing tighter and tighter…



Isaac snapped awake from the nightmare, a thin layer of cold sweat coating every inch of his skin. Just a dream, he thought in relief. He slowly drew in a long, deep breath to relax his tense muscles. Mia was sleeping soundly beside him, her breathing steady and even. The room was pitch black; indicating that sunrise was still awhile away.

Another nightmare…what was wrong with him? This one had been at least as chilling and vivid as the one from last night. It was silly to be having such terrible dreams when everything around him had a sense of secure normalcy. Did Lemuria give off some strange vibration that affected his mind? No, because the nightmares had actually started when he'd still been at sea. These dreams were solely a product of his mind. What was going on?

He rolled over onto his side and carefully wrapped his arms around Mia so as not to disturb her. It bothered him most of all that she kept dying in his dreams—and always at his hands. Why was that so? It certainly didn't make any sense that such a thing would occur. He loved her more than anything else and wanted only to be by her side and keep her safe. Were these dreams premonitions? Horrible thought! The mere idea of anything bad happening to her made him feel like he was dying. He could find a way to handle any torment that might cross his path, but he knew he would never be able to come to terms with losing his precious soulmate should it ever happen.

Mia…he thought as he got as close to her as he possibly could. I love you more than words can say. Please don't ever leave me. If something should happen to you…I don't know what I'd do! He tried not to think about it lest the emotions stirred up by such thoughts become too strong to keep under control. All I want is to stay here with you like this. That's all. He shut his eyes and waited for sleep to return to him, hoping that the nightmares would choose to leave him alone this time.

************

"Wake up, sleepy head," Mia giggled. Isaac felt her lips against his and opened his eyes, smiling.

"What time is it?" he asked.

"Early enough for me to escape to my room without being seen." She snuggled against him. "How nice to wake up this morning and find you right tight against me! Is this going to be a recurring thing?"

"Only if you want it to be," he said shrewdly. He didn't want to tell her why he'd positioned himself like that. After all, why should nightmares bother a warrior such as himself? He was too old and experienced now to be afraid of his dreams.

Mia smiled broadly. "You make me so happy, Isaac. I want us to stay like this for always."

"Funny," said Isaac as touched his forehead to hers. "I was thinking the exact same thing." He drew her into a long kiss as they lay there side by side. Just as the desire within the kiss started to escalate he felt her body contort and got an odd taste in his mouth. He pulled away and immediately jumped when he looked at Mia.

Blood was flowing out of her mouth in thick rivers, running down over her face, down her neck, and staining the white linen sheets. The stark contrast between the colors made the red brighter than normal. Terror and stunned horror held Isaac's mind in an iron vice. What could he do? Her life essence was gushing out all over! He couldn't focus his curative powers with the shock and fear holding onto him so tightly. All he could do was stare at her. Her eyes met his and she reached up and touched his face with a hand that was also bleeding profusely. Her blood was all over him, all over her, and all over the bed. It felt hot and he could actually see the thin smoke rising up off of his skin as the crimson droplets burrowed into him like hot embers. The gentle, blood covered hand flopped helplessly to the bed and the shining aqua eyes became dull and clouded as Mia gave a choked cry and died.



"Wake up, sleepy head," Mia giggled. Isaac felt her lips against his and instantly sat bolt upright, panting heavily. He'd been dreaming again! It took a few moments for this realization to sink in. Mia stared at him in concern.

"Isaac, are you OK? I didn't mean to startle you."

"N-no, it's fine," he said, finally catching his breath. He could've sworn he'd been awake before! Was he going crazy? His head wouldn't stop spinning. Then he noticed the worried look on Mia's face and smiled slightly to reassure her, though it clearly didn't work.

"Is something wrong? You seem upset."

"I'm sorry, Mia. I don't mean to worry you. It's nothing, really."

She didn't believe that for a moment. "You don't have to hide things to protect me. Something's wrong with you--I can feel it! Please tell me what's the matter. I want to help."

"I'm all right!" he said more harshly than he intended. She gasped in surprise at his tone.

"Isaac…" Her soft voice sounded hurt. "Why are you shutting me out? I love you!"

He quietly sighed. He always messed these things up. Not only were his dreams tricking him but now he'd hurt Mia's feelings too! Stupid, stupid, stupid! He hugged her tightly. "I'm sorry, Mia. I'm not trying to shut you out, but there isn't anything you can do. This is something I have to sort out on my own, OK?"

She shook her head but returned his warm embrace. "No. You shouldn't have to go through things all by yourself--not when there are so many of us who care about you. What's wrong, Isaac? You can tell me no matter what it is. Just please let me help!"

Isaac kissed her. Damn these dreams! Now they were starting to interfere with the surest thing he had! He hated to make Mia worry, but he couldn't let her in on something so foolish. They were only nightmares--why were they bothering him so much? It's not like dreams could really hurt him or anyone else. But they were so vivid and frightening, and they seemed to specifically target his darkest and deepest fears. It was incredibly taxing on both his mind and his body to go through those feelings of sorrow, loss, and helplessness again and again. He had seen Mia die twice in one night, and the images from that still struck a vein of absolute terror within him.

An even more horrifying thought crept into his mind. What if all of these nightmares really were premonitions? What if all of them--Mia, Garet, Jenna, Ivan, and Sheba--would be taken from him? What if his mother didn't want to see her selfish son again? What if his father's spirit was cursing his very existence? What if he would be despised, empty, and alone for the rest of his life? No…anything but that! If he had to be punished for his mistakes let it be anything other than living with the kind of endless despair such isolation would bring.

Mia thought she felt his hands trembling. It was clear as day that something was bothering him, and she wanted to help no matter what it was. Why did he insist on keeping this to himself? Didn't he trust her? She had to get him to open up before whatever troubled him got out of control. "I'm here for you, Isaac. Don't ever doubt how committed I am to you--to us."

"I would never," said Isaac. He smiled as he looked at her eyes filled with warmth and trust. "I'll be all right as long as I have you." He looked out the window where the first rays of light were coming into view. "We'd better get going before the others wake up."

"All right," she said reluctantly.

Isaac got up and pulled his clothes on, shoving the nightmares out of his head for the time being. The events of the day would help take his mind off of all of it. He bent down to pick up his scabbard and then casually glanced back to where Mia was watching him from the bed. She was covered in blood. He jumped back and turned away.

"Isaac?" she questioned. "What's the matter? What is it?"

He cautiously looked back at her. The blood was gone. "Nothing," he said, shaking off what he thought he'd seen. Must be letting my imagination run away with me, he thought. I'm awake now. Everything's fine.

Mia bit her lower lip. What had he seen? Something's wrong…terribly wrong! she thought. I'll have to keep a close watch over him today. I'm going to get to the bottom of this somehow.

************

"And Babi sent us to Lemuria for his draught," Ivan finished. He'd been explaining to Picard what had brought them to Lemuria, though hadn't mentioned any details about the Lighthouses or Felix.

"I see," Picard said thoughtfully. "I think I remember Babi. Did he travel with a man named Lunpa by chance?"

"That's what he told us," said Garet. "What do you mean you 'remember' him? Babi said he came here almost a hundred years ago! That's impossible!"

Picard laughed quite heartily. "Impossible perhaps for any of you, but not for Lemurians. The draught Babi had is common here. Everyone drinks it, including me."

The others looked stunned. "Then how old are you, Picard?" Jenna asked.

He shrugged. "When you've been alive for a long time, you stop counting the years. Let's just say I'm a lot older than I look."

"Wow…" Ivan trailed. "What's it like to live for so long?"

"Doesn't it get terribly boring?" Sheba added.

"A long life has many benefits," said Picard. "One good thing is that it has allowed me to learn more powerful Psynergy techniques before my body aged beyond its prime. Becoming a stronger fighter is never boring."

"No wonder you're so strong," Jenna said. "You must have so many years of training behind you! I'll bet no one could ever defeat you!"

"Well, I wouldn't say that," Picard said. "Every warrior has his weaknesses no matter how hard he trains. I'm sure all of you must know that."

Garet groaned. "Sheesh. You make all that hard work we've done look like nothing. And here I thought I was a force to be reckoned with."

Picard smiled. "Don't be foolish. For ones so young, I'm amazed at your incredible power. Few Adepts ever become as strong as you, even in Lemuria."

"You're too kind, Picard," said Isaac. Such words were especially flattering coming from a warrior of such strength and experience.

"I'm only telling the truth. Now, do you still want that draught for Babi?"

"Can we really have it?" Ivan asked.

"Of course," Picard replied. "There's a never ending supply. It comes from a well outside of town. I'll show you." He started walking.

"How can we ever repay you for your hospitality?" Mia questioned, smiling at him.

"Your smile is payment enough, Lady Mia," said Picard, also smiling. He led them back into the woods but in a different direction from the port. The trees weren't as thickly packed here and nearly all of them had lost their leaves. "Winter's fast approaching. We'll have snow on the ground before you know it."

"Now there's something to look forward to," Garet complained. "Bad enough we have to sail across the sea but now it'll be freezing too!"

"Wimp," Jenna accused.

"Wimp?!" Garet exclaimed. "That's a fine way to talk to the guy who took on Saturos and Menardi!"

"I was talking to you, not Isaac," she teased. Garet was visibly agitated.

"If you weren't a girl I'd…I'd…"

"You'd what?" Jenna implored. "Don't hold back just because I'm a girl. I could kick your ass in a fight any day!"

"Jenna, please!" Sheba begged. "Control yourself!"

"Ha!" Ivan laughed. "I'd pay money to see that fight! I'd love to watch Garet get his ass kicked by a girl!"

Garet glowered at Ivan. "One more crack like that and I'll blast you into next week!"

"I'd like to see you try!" Ivan challenged.

"Guys!" Isaac cried. "Knock it off! We're supposed to be allies, remember?"

Picard was suppressing his laughter. Mia sighed in resignation. "My apologies for the deplorable behavior of my friends, Picard," she said.

"No need for apologies, Lady Mia. I find their antics very amusing. Your travels must be anything but boring!"

"Yeah, a regular laugh riot," Isaac muttered. Though he loved Garet like a brother, that wasn't to say the Fire Adept couldn't be bothersome at times, and it was only worse with Jenna around to provoke him. Why did those two have to be so true to their element? Isaac sighed to himself and decided to brush the matter off, looking around at the unimpressive scenery instead. He'd always imagined Lemuria to be more mystical. Though the island was cloaked in a mysterious fog and the village looked ancient, the rest of the place was disappointingly plain. Oh well. Maybe it looked better during the summer months.

Out of the corner of his eye he thought he spotted something. He turned his head in the direction and gaped in surprise. It was a big, bulbous black shadow--just like the one that tried to kill him in his dream! How did it get here? Wasn't it a figment of his imagination? It looked at him with the same evil red eyes and sneering red mouth. Isaac narrowed his eyes. Whatever this thing was, it sure didn't look friendly. He couldn't let it escape. Perhaps this thing was causing his nightmares! He had to get answers. Without another thought, he lunged for the creature.

He caught it off guard, but the thing was strong and didn't go down easily. Isaac could hear the startled cries of the others as he wrestled the shadow to the ground and rolled a short distance with it, finally pinning it underneath him. He punched it hard in the space between its eyes and its mouth. It made some sort of grunt and flipped him over, sending him crashing into a tree a short distance away.

"Ow!" he heard Garet moan. "What the hell was that for, Isaac?"

Puzzled, Isaac looked up and to his astonishment saw Garet, not the shadow beast, lying in the grass nearby! What had just happened?

"What's gotten into you?" Jenna demanded. "Are you OK, Garet?"

Garet sat up. His lower lip was bleeding slightly but other than that he seemed fine. "Lucky for me Isaac's right hook still needs some work. Sheesh! All of that just for squabbling with Ivan and Jenna? Is this some new form of keeping the peace?"

Isaac's eyes went wide as he realized what he'd done. There hadn't been any shadow creature--he'd attacked Garet! But he was so sure of what he'd seen! How could he have let this happen? How could he have blindly attacked his own best friend? He slowly rose to his feet, feeling foolish, ashamed, and downright frightened all at once. "Garet, I...I'm sorry. I don't know what came over me."

Garet shrugged nonchalantly as he too stood up and wiped the blood from his lip. He laughed slightly. "Well, maybe I deserved it. But kindly warn me the next time you want to hit me, OK?"

"Sure," Isaac said with a forced grin. Inwardly, however, a current of fear made his blood run cold. To dream was one thing, but to let his imagination affect him this much when he was awake was quite another. The last thing he wanted was to hurt his friends yet he'd just attacked Garet like an enemy! How could he have let his mind play such tricks on him? And worse still, what if he had used his sword instead of his fist?

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Me: Damn I hate school! Just as I'm getting to the juicy parts I have all of these stupid projects to do! -_-;

Garet: That's it, I'm blasting this door down!

Jenna, Ivan + Sheba: GO FOR IT!

Me: Hey wait a minute you guys! I'll have to pay for that if you break it!

All: We don't care!

Me: o.O Cripes. I guess I have to go play negotiator now. R&R and I'll get Chapter 4 up, assuming these guys don't kill me first…