Me: All right, I have finally fortified my door to keep any wayward Adepts from barging in on me while I'm writing.
Ivan: Come on, let us in!
Sheba: We brought cookies!
Me: Oh please—that's the oldest trick in the book. At least be original!
Sheba: Where's Garet when we need him? He could blast down this door.
Ivan: Leave it to him to bail on us when we need his help.
Me: This chapter has a lot of switching back and forth between the real world and the interior of Isaac's mind. To help make it clearer, the passages in italics denote what's going on in his mind, OK?
Disclaimer: If you've read this whole story, you already know that Camelot is the commander of Golden Sun.
*The Return*
"Why did you do that Ivan?" Mia demanded. "We have to go back now!"
"Calm down!" Ivan ordered. "There was no way the two of us could take on that creature. Didn't you feel its mental energy? It's incredibly powerful and it's likely growing even stronger as it feeds off of Isaac's life force. We have to think this through carefully."
Mia rubbed at her eyes, knowing he was right but hating to have to lose a single moment. She looked down at Isaac and thought of how wrong this all was. He was still very much alive at the outset--his body was still warm and she could see the rise and fall of his chest. It was hard to believe that in reality he was dying. It tore her apart. This must be how he felt when he thought he was losing me, she thought. She willed herself not to cry, but it was a struggle. It hurts! I'm not going to let that demon take you away from me—not now, not ever!
"Sounds like the two of you discovered some important information," said Sheba.
"Yes," Ivan said. "And all of it bad, I'm afraid." He drifted into an explanation of everything they'd seen inside of Isaac's mind, and the others listened intently. There was an abnormally long pause when Ivan had finished.
"Shit," Garet said flatly to break the silence.
"I heard of Psynergy Eaters in many old legends," said Picard. "Everyone thought they were just a myth. Perhaps no one wanted to imagine such a fearsome creature as actually existing."
"What can we do?" Jenna asked. "We have to stop that thing!"
"Agreed," said Sheba. "But how?"
"I was hoping the rest of you might think of something," Ivan admitted. "For once, I'm fresh out of ideas."
"What?" Garet questioned in disbelief. "But you're the smart one, Ivan!"
Ivan shrugged. "Somehow it's hard for me to be innovative without Isaac here to help me. It's shocking how much I've come to depend on him. I never realized it until now."
Sheba nodded in agreement. "I think we've all come to rely on his strength to guide us. Maybe we even took it for granted."
"I guess none of us could see his vulnerabilities because we didn't want to believe they existed," said Jenna sadly. "During this whole journey, he's been our rock, and we all assumed he always would be."
"We're a lousy bunch of friends, aren't we?" Garet implored. "We got so wrapped up in what we were doing and thinking that we forgot to consider his feelings." He sighed. "I'm sorry, Isaac. I guess I am just a big, stupid oaf." He waited for Jenna to make a retort, but she wasn't in the right mood to do so.
Picard smiled slightly. "All of you have been touched by the true power of Venus."
"The what?" Ivan questioned.
"An old Lemurian belief," said Picard. "They say members of the Venus Clan have the inborn power to draw other people close to them. Like the earth itself, they offer protection and stability to the ones they love most. The purer the soul, the stronger this drawing and protective power grows. I have not known Isaac long, but from what all of you have said, he must have a soul as pure as a crystal to have drawn you all so close to him."
Mia couldn't hold back her tears any longer. "Which is why we can't let that demon take him away from us. We just can't!"
"Don't cry, Mia," Jenna said, resisting her own tears. "We'll think of something somehow."
"Can't we just go into his mind and beat that thing up?" Garet asked.
"If only it were that simple," said Ivan. "Even if we did confront Despair, neither of us has the ability to destroy it. It's fully entwined itself in Isaac's mind so that only he has the power to dispel it. But he clearly doesn't have the strength to fight back." He sighed. "Only a pure evil would prey on a soul as good as Isaac's. I wish I knew how to stop that thing."
"We can't let that demon win!" Jenna said as she scrubbed at her eyes.
Sheba, who had been thinking quite hard while listening to them, let out an unexpected laugh. "That's it!" she exclaimed. "That's what we have to do!"
"What?" everyone else asked.
"If Isaac doesn't have the strength to fight back," Sheba began "then it's up to all of us to give him the strength he needs."
"How are we supposed to do that?" Garet questioned.
"By focusing all of our power on him," said Sheba. "We have to enter his mind and send him all the inner strength we possess."
"Do you think that'll work?" Jenna asked.
"It's worth a try," Sheba pressed. "We can't just give up!" She snatched Ivan's hands. "Come on, Ivan! If we combine our Psynergy, we should be strong enough to get our power past that barrier!"
Ivan smiled, unable to recall ever seeing her this fired up. "All right, let's do it."
Just as they were about to cast Mind Read, Isaac, or at least his body, stirred and sat up. The others backed away slightly, unsure of what they were going to encounter. He stretched and opened his eyes, which had turned from cobalt blue to a deep, haunting red.
"Yes, this is it!" said Despair's hissing, evil voice. The sound knocked everyone into stunned silence. "This is the power I've thirsted for--the might of the chosen warrior of Venus!"
Mia was the first to find her voice. "Let Isaac go right now!" she cried. "Give him back to us!"
He glared at her. "Pathetic little wretch. I'd kill you if I weren't in such a good mood." He rose and took in his newly acquired body. While not as tall or as filled out as he would've liked, it was certainly strong and filled with incredible Psynergy. "Marvelous power. Simply marvelous!"
"What now, guys?" Garet asked.
Picard moved swiftly and restrained Despair, which wasn't easy even though he was physically larger. "Do what you were going to do, but make it quick!"
***
Isaac could barely see his hands. He truly was just a ghost now--a faint trace of a young man who'd once walked the earth. Everything before him was consumed by darkness, and the vines twisted around him were multiplying and reshaping this place to suit Despair's needs. The memory lights, which he could see far off in the distance, were trying to escape the grasp of these vines, to little avail. Soon this ghost and this mind would disappear completely and only Despair would remain. Soon…
"Isaac!" He heard his name called by several familiar voices all at once. They seemed miles away, totally beyond his reach from his prison. Still, he strained to hear them.
"Don't give up, Isaac! We're here to help you!" Sheba's voice.
"If you're too weak to fight, pull your strength from us!" Ivan's voice.
"Please don't leave us, Isaac! We need you here--it's where you belong!" Jenna's voice.
"You're not allowed to quit now. This whole thing will fall apart without you here!" Garet's voice.
Even though they seemed so far away, Isaac could feel the presence of his friends surrounding him. A surge of power rushed through him, and he saw his hands slowly phase back into solidity again. He struggled against the vines, but they fiercely resisted and tightened around him. It was no use—not even his friends had the power needed to break free from here. And then one more voice echoed from beyond the wall.
"Don't let Despair consume you, Isaac. I know that it must seem impossible, but we all love you and we're willing to help you fight it. Just don't give up!"
"Mia…" Isaac whispered. It couldn't be, could it? No, this had to be another trick. She was dead--he'd killed her. But he could vaguely sense her calming aura adding to the power he'd already received from the others. What if she really was still alive? The slim possibility of seeing her again helped loosen a few of the vines and he started ripping them away.
***
With a blast of Psynergy, Despair freed himself of Picard's grasp, also breaking the Mind Read connection Ivan and Sheba had. He ran out of the sanctum.
"Did you reach him?" Picard asked.
"We tried our best," said Ivan. "Come on--we can't let him get away!"
The six of them followed Despair as he made his way out of the village and back towards the woods, nonchalantly blasting buildings as he went. He laughed to himself, thoroughly enjoying his new found powers. Ragnarok, Quake Sphere, Mother Gaia, Stone Spire--he used all of Isaac's most powerful abilities to send people reeling through the streets and delighted in their terror. The thin layer of snow that had settled on the ground was thrown back into the sky as the earth trembled under his power. When he reached the woods, he continued breaking and uprooting trees to clear a path.
"Such amazing destructive power!" he laughed.
"Bastard!" Jenna cried as the group caught up to him. "How dare you do such a thing with Isaac's powers!"
"He learned those techniques to protect this world, not destroy it!" Garet added.
"I am in command of this power now," said Despair. "And I will use it however I please!" He lifted his arms and brought down Stone Spire, forcing everyone to scatter lest they be buried under the rock.
"What can we do?" Sheba asked. "We can't fight back without hurting Isaac too!"
"We can only hope that Isaac manages to regain control," Ivan said.
"Your precious Isaac is gone forever," Despair said gleefully. "He will never be able to break free of me no matter what any of you do!"
"Neither of us are giving up on him," said Mia firmly.
Despair glowered at her again. "Does the angel really believe she can save him with her love? You're pathetic! Your devotion to him is naïve and pointless, and I won't hear anymore of it!" He started to direct an attack at her but suddenly stopped and aimed it back at the trees.
"Isaac!" she called. "I know you're still in there somewhere. Fight this thing! You can't give up!"
***
No matter how hard Isaac struggled against his bonds, they kept regenerating and pulling him back. He strained with everything he had and it still wasn't enough, not even with the added power from his friends.
"You can't break out of there," Despair told him, the hissing voice echoing from everywhere. "You're worthless--completely useless and weak. You may as well give up."
"I refuse to stay in this place a moment longer," Isaac said, still struggling. "My friends are waiting for me, and so is Mia!"
"Do you really think they want you back?" Despair implored. "Look at all the pain, suffering and death you've brought to all of them! You're nothing but a failure and a curse. You couldn't save your father's life, you abandoned your mother, you've led all of your friends on a perilous quest, and you killed your own true love! They don't deserve to have a curse like you bringing them down and endangering their lives! Everyone is better off without you and you know it!"
Isaac stopped squirming. He wanted to flee this place so badly, but more than that, he didn't want to hurt anyone else. The memory of what he'd done to Mia tore at him again. If the one he loved most of all wasn't safe from him, then no one was. What right did he have to continue exposing the world to the threat that was he? Wouldn't everyone be safer if he remained here all alone?
"Fight back if you please, but you'll only keep on hurting the ones you care about," said Despair. "If you truly want to protect them, you'll give up and stay in there. You'll be doing the whole world a favor."
Slowly, all of the vines Isaac had broken reformed around him and he didn't resist their pull. If Mia were still alive, she'd be safer without him, and if she were dead, then what was left for him to fight for? He couldn't bare the thought of hurting the few loved ones he knew he still had. Despair was right--they were all better off without him.
***
"He's given up," Despair said proudly.
"No!" the others cried.
"We have to reach him again!" said Jenna desperately.
"I won't let you!" Despair declared. He cast Stone Spire again, immediately following with Quake Sphere to keep them jumping.
"Doesn't he ever get tired?" Garet asked.
"He must not be limited by the physical strain of casting Psynergy," said Sheba.
"Just our luck," Garet muttered.
Another Stone Spire and then he tried to aim Ragnarok at Mia, but the shot missed her by a mile. He tried again with the same result and grew visibly angrier. "How are you doing that?!" he demanded. "How are you dodging my attacks so quickly?"
"But I'm not dodging," Mia said in confusion. "Your aim is off."
"My aim is not off in the least!" Despair declared. To prove his point, he cast Mother Gaia towards the others, who rolled out of way just in time. He approached Mia, the thirst for blood in his eyes. But as soon as he tried to strike at her, a sharp pain struck him and he clutched at his chest. "What is this feeling? Something is wrong with this vessel!" He glared at Mia. "How are you doing this? Why can't I kill you?"
Everyone else looked to Mia. "He can't hurt you, Mia!" Ivan exclaimed. "This is your chance—you have to try to speak to Isaac's soul! You're the only one who can get close enough to him to do it!"
"But how can I do that?" she asked. "I can't read minds!"
"You're his soulmate, aren't you?" said Jenna. "Use that bond, Mia! It has to hold a power!"
Mia nodded and looked into Despair's haunting eyes. An instinct that even she couldn't fully comprehend made her embrace him as tightly as she could, resting her head on his shoulder and closing her eyes. He tried to struggle against her but couldn't break free from her grasp.
"Isaac…" she trailed softly.
***
"…Isaac?" Mia called. She recognized her surroundings, but the area had grown much darker and was taking on a new shape as Despair's power continued to grow. The thick black vines were everywhere, and they were spreading out all over the place, snaking their way around the void. She ambled through the dark, trying to find that barrier she'd seen before so she could smash it open and set Isaac free.
"Get out of here!" Despair shouted at her. The glowing red eyes penetrated the blackness and started sending out shots of dark power towards her. Mia jumped and dodged the bullets nimbly, but was stopped short when some of the vines encircled her and lifted her up. She struggled against them with all her might but they wouldn't release her. The eyes formed one concentrated ball of energy and sent it out to destroy her. Mia braced herself for the expected blow as the orb flew towards her. The blast was unexpectedly deflected from her, however, as more of the vines knocked it away. Both Mia and Despair were visibly startled, and then the vines lashed out and smacked Despair deep into the recesses of the void.
"What was that?" Mia asked aloud softly. Then she realized that the vines holding her up hadn't restrained her at all; they had simply formed a shield to help protect her from the demon. And now that it was gone, the vines carefully set her down and flopped back to the floor. Baffled, she pressed a little further forward and saw the faint glint of the black barrier, though she couldn't make out anything other than darkness beyond it. She started to head right up to it, but some of the vines sprung up and very gently pushed her away. What was going on here?
"Isaac?" she called, trying to get closer to the barrier again. The vines wouldn't let her and formed their own wall to block her progress. "Isaac! It's me—Mia!"
"I know," she heard his voice say from behind the barrier. "I'd recognize your presence anywhere. I can't believe it's really you! I thought you were dead!"
"Well, I'm not," she said cheerfully. "I've come to help you fight back against this thing." She pulled at the vine blockade, snapping and ripping them apart in an effort to work her way past them. But the vines reformed and a few more pushed her away again. Frustrated, she attacked them with more gusto and determination, and they resisted just as hard as she fought. Eventually, the vines split and just scooped her up and carried her back from the barrier. She squirmed and ripped at these to make them drop her, but they stubbornly refused. "Stupid things!" she fumed. "Let go of me right now!"
"I'm so sorry, Mia!" Isaac's voice said quietly. She stopped tearing at the vines to listen to him. He sounded so empty and sad. "I never wanted to hurt you."
"Of course," said Mia. "Don't apologize, Isaac; it wasn't your fault." She smiled slightly. "I'm sorry that I gave you such a scare, but I'm OK now, and I know we can beat this thing together if we try." With a grunt, she jumped out of the vines and dashed for the barrier. But once again, the same vines blocked her progress and pushed her away. How could she get by these things when they were so persistent? She started ripping at them again, and then realized that they weren't offering any real resistance to her, but just fell away as soon as she pulled at them. All they were doing was keeping her away from that last barrier and nothing more, not attacking or fighting her. In fact, when they'd touched her, it had been very carefully, not the way she'd expect an enemy to react to her. "I don't get," she said to herself aloud. "I thought these vines were controlled by the demon Despair, so why did they protect me and why aren't they attacking me?" Tentatively, she outstretched a hand and let a single vine loosely coil itself around her forearm, and she felt a warmth radiating from it. A very familiar warmth. "Oh my god!" she whispered in shock. "Isaac, it's you—you're controlling the vines!"
"Yes, and no," Despair's voice echoed from beyond. It sounded quite annoyed. "This is an unforeseen complication. It seems that in the process of dissolving his soul, his strongest desire accidentally merged with me. Usually all traces of my victims disappear when I assert control, but this one emotion was apparently too powerful to destroy, and it is restricting my actions. Consider yourself lucky, angel—you are completely immune to my power, even though he is not."
"Immune?" Mia questioned in confusion. "But why is that?"
"Apparently because he wants to protect you and keep you safe. This pathetic human emotion called 'love' never ceases to irritate me. But it doesn't matter; even if I can't dispose of you, I still have control of this vessel." The demon's voice faded away into the void.
Mia smiled. "I should've known that monster couldn't destroy you completely. But that still doesn't explain why the vines are pushing me back…" She trailed off as she suddenly knew precisely why she was being kept away from that barrier. "Isaac, you don't have to push me away!" she cried. "I'm not in any danger here!"
"Please, Mia," Isaac said. "Just go away."
"No!" she declared. "I'm not going to abandon you for that thing to devour. Why aren't you fighting back? Why won't you let me help you?"
"Because I don't want to hurt you. I don't want to hurt anyone ever again, and all I ever bring to the people I care about is suffering and death."
"That's not true!"
"Yes, it is!" he insisted sadly. "I couldn't save my father three years ago, I let Saturos kidnap Jenna, I abandoned my mother, I set this whole quest in motion by taking the Elemental Stars, and I nearly killed you! Everyone's better off without me."
Mia thought she'd cry. She could now feel all of his guilt and sorrow wracking her own soul as well, gnawing at her like rabid fangs. How long had he been carrying this pain with him? How long had he been blaming himself for all of these things which had been far beyond his control? He'd kept it buried so deep within him that she'd been unable to detect it before, and now it was wound so tightly around him that he didn't know how to let it go. She had to relieve him of this burden or he'd never be able to break free from Despair's power.
"Oh, Isaac," she said soothingly. "You're not a danger to anyone. We've only survived on this quest because of your strength and your protection. You're the light that guides us, the rock we stand on, the glue that holds us together! You've saved all our lives so many times, both in battle and just by being here, and all the while never considering your own well being. These things that you've been blaming yourself for weren't your fault—it was fate!" She looked towards the barrier sadly. "This world has been so unjustly cruel to you, Isaac. It's stolen so many precious things from you and taken advantage of your kindness and your sense of duty. I think that for once you should forgot about everyone else and take something back for yourself. Tell me honestly, Isaac; what is it that you want?"
Isaac couldn't remember the last time he'd considered his own wishes. He thought a few moments, absorbing Mia's words and looking at his dismal surroundings. "I…I want to be free of this place," he said slowly. "And I want to be with you and the others."
She smiled. "Then come back to us, Isaac. You deserve to have what you want."
"But who will protect all of you from me?" he asked. "I don't want to hurt anyone, especially you, Mia. I thought I lost you once--I can't go through that again!"
"You're not a danger to us, Isaac," she said. "In fact, you're probably the best protection any of us could ask for. I didn't realize it before, but now I know what saved my life. It was you, Isaac—it must've been you! A great warmth pulled me back from a cold darkness, and it was the exact same warmth I feel emanating off of you right now!"
Then the Revive had worked after all! He couldn't believe it--he'd actually done something right and saved her life! The vines very slowly retreated, allowing Mia to approach the barrier. After a moment, Isaac appeared on the other side, no longer restrained by the vines. "Really?" he asked. "Are you certain that's what it was?"
"Yes. There's not a doubt in my mind that it was you." She smiled again. "You performed a real miracle for me, Isaac. I'd like to reward you for it if you'll let me."
"Mia…" Isaac trailed, looking into her eyes. That power of hers, the power to reassure him and calm the chaos within him, had managed to breach the wall and flowed through him, replacing all of the fear, guilt and sorrow. The longing to be with her was just too great to resist. He pressed on the barrier and it started to crack, then it shattered completely. Off in the distance, Despair let out an anguished howl of defeat as its hold over Isaac was severed.
***
A thin veil of black mist floated away and dissolved into the air. Strong arms hugged Mia fiercely, but it was out of love, not hatred. She looked up and saw Isaac's bright blue eyes meeting her gaze. "Welcome back," she whispered, smiling. He smiled in return and they shared a long, happy kiss. The instant the others saw it, they knew everything was all right again and grinned at the pair.
"Wow, that has to be some kind of record!" Ivan said. "I haven't seen them last this long since their first kiss at the Venus Lighthouse!"
"Love is so grand!" Sheba gushed.
"Indeed," said Picard.
Garet tapped his foot impatiently. "Don't you two have to breathe at some point?"
"Shut up, Garet!" Jenna scowled. "You're killing the mood!"
Mia and Isaac reluctantly pulled away from each other, at which point, Jenna, Garet, Ivan and Sheba tackled him in a group hug, all of them laughing. The nightmare was over at long last. But unknown to any of them, a short distance away, the black mist reappeared and began to reform into a new shape.
---------------------------------------------------------
Me: OK, I know that was weird, but it wasn't complete crap, was it?
Sheba: Let us in!
Ivan: It's cold out here in the hallway!
Me: Give it up, you two. Go bother someone else or I'll call security.
Ivan: You're mean!
Sheba: See if we ever help you out again!
Me: Yeah, I know this is another bad cliffhanger, but you can blame Triad Orion for forcing my hand (turnabout is fair play). Besides, you didn't really think I'd let the fight end that easily, did you? Hehe…^_^