Isaac leapt backwards from the attack directed at him. The Fenrir who missed snarled at him, and another leapt toward him. The two-headed demon dog tackled him to the ground, and was preparing to bite his throat out, when Isaac shoved the flat of his sword into the mouths of both heads. He tried to push them away, but his strength couldn't hold them back for much longer.

"Isaac!" Garet shouted, lunging at the Fenrir who was preparing to eviscerate him. The Fenrir fell limp around Isaac's blade and he pushed him away. Garet pulled his bastard sword from the carcass of the beast and prepared to take on the other three that remained. Ivan, who had just about enough of these annoying creatures, threw his hand into the air. Three vicious tornadoes ripped through the line of hellhounds and sent them flying in several different directions. The Psynergy soon dissipated, and the Fenrirs stood up, more agitated than ever. Mia decided to cool their heels by blasting them with a shot of Tundra, which froze the evil beings to the bone. One of the hounds fell dead, while the other two remained as ferocious as ever. The first Fenrir leapt at Ivan, who managed to dodge out of the way of it's savage charge. The second went for Garet, and latched onto his left arm. Luckily, Garet's gauntlets prevented the dog's teeth from securing themselves into his flesh, but the sheer force of the dog's pulling power could still rip it from its socket.

Acting quickly, Ivan plastered the offending hellhound with a blast of Shine Plasma. The dog promptly let go of Garet, and fell to the ground, electrocuted to death. The final remaining beast leapt back at Isaac, but before it could make its full attack, was smashed back to the ground by a falling magical sword from the sky. Isaac's Ragnarok stopped the demon in its tracks, causing it to wind up much like its compatriots. All four warriors breathed a sigh of relief; they escaped the trap that had been set for them. Now they could proceed deeper into the Venus Lighthouse.

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

"Wow, Isaac! That was amazing! I can't believe you guys fought off all those demon dogs! It sounded like they could've killed you!" Megan exclaimed. The room had become very dark with the sun's complete descent. Only the light of the fireplace kept the room from being engulfed in complete obscurity. The light reflected from the left side of Isaac's continence, giving him an eerily godlike look. The glow gave him that much more force in his story. Megan and Justin were partially obscured by the darkness, but their faces remained visible, each with an expression of satisfaction.

"I'll admit, I was excited myself." Justin replied.

"Yeah, that was pretty intense. Saturos and Merandi were really determined to keep us out of the Aerie of the Venus Lighthouse. Sending four ferocious Fenrirs almost worked, too."

"You four sounded like an amazing team." Megan stated.

"Yes, we were. The four of us worked together quite well; I'm glad I found such good friends."

"Hey, can we hear another story? Come on, please?"

"Well, I don't know. It's getting kinda late."

"Oh, come on! Mia doesn't tell about what happened when she left. We want to know!"

"All right." Isaac caved.

Meanwhile, Mia rolled over in her bed. Something was going on in the next room; it sounded like Isaac was talking about something, but she couldn't tell what exactly. She stood from her bed and walked over to the door, and cracked it open slightly a minor sliver of light illuminated her inky black room. She could then clearly hear Isaac's voice.

"So, there we were, on our way to a new land on board a ship. It was the first time any of us had sailed; Garet and I were especially nervous. The captain had warned that monsters could get up on deck and attack; in a worse case scenario, they'd get down into the oar room and take out the oarsmen. Well, the captain had assigned two of the warriors who sought to participate in Colosso to guard the deck, and Garet, Ivan, Mia, and myself were to patrol the lower decks."

Mia smiled. The kids had wanted to know about their adventure. She had never told them, for her own reasons, fearing it may distract them from their studies; but with Isaac here, she assumed it was all right. Intrigued to hear how she thought Isaac saw the adventure, she pulled up a stool from a corner of her room and sat next to the cracked door.

"Well, everything was going great, until we got out into the middle of the lake. Then, the monsters started to attack. Several jumped onto the deck, and the two warriors managed to fend some of them off; inevitably, they got past them and into the oar room. When we got down into the chamber, two of the oarsmen had been wounded, and the rest were at the mercy of the enemies who lurked in the shadows. There were some strange jellyfish-like creatures, more commonly known as cuttles; they were the ones who knocked out the oarsmen."

Mia reminisced about the journey. There were indeed the creatures known as cuttles; they were very irritating; the little pests were not only very resistant to the Mercury element, but they had a nasty poison sting when they hit.

"We rushed down into the hold when we heard the news they had gotten in and injured one of the oarsmen; there had been seven of the little devils who got into the hold. When we finally got down there, they had knocked out another oarsmen. We stood our ground within the hold. Our offensive Psynergy was rendered useless by the close quarters in the hold; we didn't want to sink the boat. Each of the cuttles attacked viscously, but we held them off by defending ourselves. Then, Garet and I lashed at two of the little pests and slew them on the spot. Mia and Ivan aimed for the next one; Ivan's Blessed Ankh staff managed to knock it off balance while Mia finished it with her mace. The remaining four attacked again, and everyone managed to block their blows; that is, except for me. The sting of one of those things hurt like no tomorrow; not to mention the fact they were poisonous."

Mia sat intently listening to Isaac's retelling, which had been startlingly accurate. Not that she expected a slanted story from him, she was just surprised at his brutal honesty about it. Isaac had always said he was fine when he was hurt, but he wasn't being that way when he retold the story. . .

"So, what did you do?" Megan asked, intently listening to Isaac's yarn.

"Well, I didn't know they were poisonous at the time, so I fought on, slaying another one of the little things. Garet sliced the one that got me in half, while Ivan and Mia clobbered the other two. They went down really quickly. Then we had to go find replacement rowers; so we picked the two tour guides, trying to keep the passengers happy. That turned out okay, but for some reason I was growing increasingly tired. Mia then noticed the wound I'd received from the jellyfish. She instantly knew why I was becoming tired; I'd been poisoned, badly at that. She used her Psynergy to purge the poison from my body; undoubtedly saving my life. You see, we were out of Antidote plants at the time; Mia was really a lifesaver.

Anyway, after that, we rowed on without further incident for awhile; until there was a huge thump on the decks above. One of the ship's main attendants rushed down and told us a giant monster had leapt onto the boat and knocked out the two men topside. The four of us rushed to the decks and a giant cuttle was sitting on the poop deck. It was preparing to pull the mast straight off the boat when we arrived. It was obviously very upset about being disturbed before he finished his work. Now that we were on the deck, our offensive powers could be used, so I opened the fight by blasting the thing with a Psynergy skill I call Ragnarok. The magical sword flew from the sky and struck the beast; of course, it did little more than make him more angry. Next, Garet decided to flash-fry it with a Fireball attack. Again, it did little more than irritate the thing. Ivan then cast Shine Plasma, sending the huge creature reeling, but then it got royally mad, so it cast a retaliation Water Blessing on us. The blast of water knocked me and Garet off our balance. The two of us were now soaked, and hopping mad too. Garet lead off with his Elven Rapier and let loose with a devastating Vorpal Slash, causing great pain to our adversary. Then Mia, noticing how Garet and I were hurt, summoned a Djinn to replenish our strength."

"What's a Djinn?" Justin asked.

"A Djinn is an elemental spirit with its own powers. One of them is with me now; let's see if I can call him out. Hey, Flint! Come on out!" With a flash of golden light, the tiny Venus Djinn appeared on Isaac's right shoulder.

"What is it, Isaac?" It inquired.

"These two didn't know what a Djinn was; so I decided to show them."

"Wow! That puny thing has powers?!" Justin exclaimed.

"Powers you wouldn't believe, kid!" Flint replied, angrily. "Care to see them up close?!"

"Flint, please. If you can't control yourself, just phase out."

"Whatever." Flint muttered, disappearing much like he had arrived.

"Now, as I was saying, she summoned a Djinn named Spritz, who patched me and Garet up; using the power of its water of Mercury. Next, I decide to attack with my weapon, and swiped the creature horizontally. The creature was sore now, but the battle remained far from over. Ivan pumped all of us up by summoning one of his Jupiter Djinn, Zephyr. It's power made the four of us move at super speed, easily outmaneuvering the oversized jellyfish. Garet plastered the creature with another Vorpal Slash, while my sword let out a howl and summoned Sonic Smash. The speed of Zephyr combined with the power of the weapon did a great deal of damage, but it was insufficient to slay the monster. Next, Mia struck with her Sacred Ankh and drained the creature's vitality. We had it on the ropes now. Stunned from the massive amount of damage dealt to it, we were able to strike once more. Ivan summoned the power of Jupiter, using the previously summoned Djinn. The gusts of dangerous winds seared right through the creature, perforating its body in a number of places. Next, Mia summoned the spirit of Mercury; the riptide shocks tore through the evil creature and left it open for further attack. Next, I struck with the power of my Swift Sword, summoning Sonic Smash once more. Next Garet slashed at the creature for a final time, slaying the beast, knocking it overboard and into the sea. The creature was defeated and we could continue with our journey after Mia and I tended to the wounded."

"You mean you're a healer too?" Megan asked, puzzled.

"Not in the true sense of the word. I do possess some healing Psynergy, but it stops short at healing anything more than physical injuries; I can't heal disease, poison, dispel any unpleasant conditions, or do much else so my power is quite limited. While I had my minor skill, Mia was far more talented in healing in every way."

Mia smiled; Isaac was being quite modest; he had been modest twice in the past few minutes; it had been him who had slain the giant cuttle, not Garet. He also played down his own skill as a healer; while he spoke the truth about not being able to heal much more than physical wounds, he more than excelled at it. Torn flesh and broken bone weren't problems for Isaac; he just casted Cure and the injured moved on.

"So, Miss Mia saved your life when you aboard that boat?" Megan asked.

"Yes, she did."

"You also say she was a lifesaver; did she save your life again?"

"Yes, quite a number of times, I might add."

"Did you ever save her?"

"Well, not really. . . maybe once."

Mia smiled again; he was either being modest again or was just oblivious to what had happened during the course of their adventure. She knew he had to have been modest, because he was quite aware of himself and others during the trip. In fact, Isaac had saved her life easily as many times as she saved his; his excellent swordplay and noble spirit protected her and everyone else in the group a number of times.

"When was that once?" Justin asked, curious.

"At the Mercury Lighthouse; and I really didn't save her; me, Garet, and Ivan did it together. You see, Mia couldn't get past a Lizard Man who was blocking her path through the Lighthouse, so Garet, Ivan, and I killed it for her. That's basically it."

Mia frowned; when Isaac had said Mercury Lighthouse, she had thought he was referring to saving her from Saturo's blade in combat; the evil man was about to bring his viscous sword down on her, when Isaac glanced the blow away using his own broad sword.

"Isaac, may I ask you a question?" Megan asked.

"Go ahead."

"Well, you really speak highly of Mia. . ."

"And?"

"Well. . . do you like her?"

"Beg your pardon?" Isaac asked, taken off guard and confused.

"Do you like her? It seems like you two, well, you know."

"I. . . uh. Well, um. . ." Isaac stuttered, still stunned at the outright question.

"You do, don't you?"

"I, um. . ."

"I knew it! You love Miss Mia, don't you?"

"No! It's not like that!" Isaac snapped into reality. "She's a friend, nothing more."

"If she's just a friend, how come your face is beet-red?" Megan asked, playfully pointing out Isaac's blushed face.

"The fever must be coming back."

"Not likely. Just admit it!"

"There's nothing to admit to!"

Mia sat back, as stunned as Isaac. Megan's sudden question seemed to strike a chord within her too. Isaac, despite his excellent leadership and strong will, had always been a terrible liar, and she could tell he was playing defense here. It was clear to her now that he was hiding his feelings; not unlike the Isaac she knew before they separated. She wanted to go out and ask him herself, but couldn't muster up the strength to do so. She decided to see how things played out.

"Why don't you just admit it? You'll feel a lot better once you tell someone."

"I already told you, there's nothing to admit to. If you don't believe me, that's your decision."

"Well, I don't believe you at all."

"I think Megan has a point, Isaac. You're a lot of things, but a good liar is not one of them. Your argument's as transparent as a piece of glass in a floe of snow." Justin replied, half-coldly. Isaac knew he was backed into a corner on this one; not even he knew what he felt, but these children seemed to sense it way before he ever knew what it was. He kept silent for a long time.

"Come on, just say something." Megan urged.

Mia was still taken by this; Isaac had withdrawn; something he was not known for doing. Now she knew for sure; Isaac did have feelings for her. She knew this much by his silence.

"There's nothing more to be said, Megan." Isaac replied coolly. "You seem to think you have all figured out; I'm not going to argue with you. It's getting late. Mia told you not to stay up late."

"She told you the same thing, Isaac." Megan responded, a light jeer in her voice. "Besides, I'm not going anywhere until you admit it."

"Then you'll have to explain to Mia why you didn't get a full night's sleep."

"Don't worry, I will." She smirked. Isaac had just realized he had made a big mistake by giving that ultimatum. If he hadn't said anything, he might've avoided embarrassment, but now he was stuck for sure. If he didn't say anything, Megan would move on her assumptions, and if he did, Megan would undoubtedly blab it out anyway. He remained silent, contemplating his next move.

"Your silence says it all, Isaac." Justin replied. "There's no further use hiding it." Isaac sighed, realizing he had been beaten.

"I guess you two figured it out before even I could." Isaac sighed. "I guess you were right, you two."

"I knew it! I always thought you two would make a perfect couple!" Megan exclaimed. "I knew from the day Mia said she was leaving to go with you on your quest that you two would fall in love!"

"No, you didn't, Megan." Justin replied. "Besides, Mia might not like him in the same way."

"I don't know; she's always spoken very warmly of him."

"Well, which ever the case may be, at least we got it out of Isaac."

"Yeah."

"I can't believe I've been successfully interrogated by a couple of kids. . ." Isaac muttered to himself. "Well, you're smarter than the average kid, I'll give you that much. Well, now that you beat that out of me, why don't you two go to bed? It's late, and we will all be in for it if you get sick."

"You're right, Isaac. Let's go, Megan; besides, Isaac needs his rest." Justin stood, pulling Megan to her feet and dragging her into their bedroom.

Mia stood from her chair; she could now go out and address him, but given his recent condition, the added stress might cause him to relapse into a fever; intense emotion was likely to do that, and Megan's meddling might have caused him to relapse anyway. She decided to wait until morning to talk with him. She closed her door fully and slipped the stool back to its proper location. She then crept back to bed, and soon fell into a deep sleep.

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

That morning, Isaac stretched as he awoke from a restful night's sleep. Despite the tussle between him and Megan, his sleep was deep and sound. He glanced over, seeing Megan and Justin reading books regarding healing, and Mia looked like she was preparing to make breakfast.

"Sleep well, Isaac?" Mia asked.

"Just fine." Isaac replied, trying not to sound nervous.

"That's good. Breakfast should be ready shortly. Just let me add the. . . great." She said. "Looks like we ran out. I thought we had some more meat in here."

"Did you place the order at the butcher's yesterday?" Justin asked, politely.

"Oh yes, that's right. I'm also running out of several spices."

"I can go get you the spices, Mia!" Megan popped up.

"I'll go get the meat, if it helps." Justin replied, setting his reading aside.

"That'd be great, thanks!" Mia smiled. "Be careful out there, and watch out for ice."

"We will." Justin returned, moving into the foyer with his sister. The door soon opened, and swiftly closed. After Mia was sure they had left down the path, she turned to add more of the ingredients to the morning meal. Isaac was now on his feet for the first time in a couple of days, and he stretched all of his muscles out. It was very relieving.

"You're feeling better, I presume?" Mia asked him, without turning around.

"I feel like a million gold pieces!" Isaac said, as he walked over. "What are you making, anyway?"

"It's a type of beef stew; I know we've been having a lot of soups lately, but. . . you just can't get a lot of variety during the winter here in Imil."

"I'm not complaining."

"That's good. . . oops!" Mia fumbled the small glass container of garlic and it plummeted toward the ground. It made its impact not into the floor, but into Isaac's leather glove. "Thanks, good catch."

"Mia, I can't help but notice. . . You seem distracted this morning; is something on your mind?" She glanced back at him for a second before poking the fire down to a low roar. Then she turned to face him directly.

"I heard you telling stories to Megan and Justin last night."

"You heard? Sorry, I guess I must've gotten carried away and gotten a little loud. Sorry if I woke you." Isaac said, sheepishly.

"It wasn't that I was concerned about."

"Did you just not want me to tell them about the adventure?"

"No, I was going to tell them eventually anyway."

"Well, what's wrong then? You seem awfully stressed over a few stories."

"Please don't play dumb, Isaac; you're not very good at it. You know what I'm talking about." Mia replied. Isaac took a step back, shocked. After a moment, he sighed.

"Well, I guess you heard, then."

"Why didn't you say anything?" She asked. Isaac looked confused. This wasn't the reaction he'd been expecting. He had half expected her to just cut him down to size right there.

"I didn't know myself. . . I'm sorry."

"I think you were worried about something else."

"What do you mean?"

"I think you didn't accept it because you didn't know how I felt, Isaac." Isaac looked away for a moment. "Isaac, I did some thinking myself last night. I remembered back to when we met in the Mercury Lighthouse. I sensed I could trust you then, and I was right. You've always been kind and honorable; selfless and just. Though. . ." Isaac swallowed hard; he knew a bomb was going to be dropped here. "I had always had this feeling, of something else. Isaac, I'm not going to put this off any longer. I've been meaning to tell you since we were on the boat sailing to Lumuria, and I might not get another chance to tell you. Isaac, I. . ." She stopped. "love you." Isaac's expression flashed several different emotions all at once. "I've known since the Colosso tournament in Tolbi." Nothing more was said for a long time. Both parties couldn't think of what to say next.

"I've had the feeling; since even before we defeated Saturos and Merandi at the Venus Lighthouse. I didn't know what it was until last night, when your two disciples hammered it out of me. I knew then."

"Isaac, just answer me one other thing. Why were you out questing alone? What happened?"

"My mother passed away in Vale; I couldn't stand being there anymore; I couldn't stay, too many memories. So I left to find where destiny took me. My fate pointed me north of Vault, and you found me. Though, I still don't feel as though I found my destiny, even here."

"I understand. When will you be departing?"

"As soon as possible. Within the hour."

"Why so soon?"

"Destiny waits for no one."

"I understand. Isaac, please wait here." Mia left the room, and returned with a small box. "I want you to take this. It's an amulet, handed down from the Mercury Clan, symbolizing hope. Take it to remember me." Mia said, removing it from its box. The amulet was octagonal in shape, coated in the shiniest of platinum, embedded with a large blue gem in the middle of the polygon. Along the outside edge was an inscription, written in ancient Mercury script. The amulet seemed to sparkle with its own life, shining the morning sunlight throughout the room. She slipped it around Isaac's neck, and he could say nothing. "You'd best leave now, before Megan and Justin return." Mia sighed, sadly. Isaac nodded, wordlessly and depressed, and picked up his gear from next to the bed from which he slept. After slipping on his equipment, he took one last look at Mia, whom was obviously holding back tears, and left the house, and just as quickly, took his leave from the town of Imil.