Triad's Log: Day 7:
I've been on the run for a week now. . . I have found temporary shelter,
but I fear it is only a matter of time before the maddened GS authors find
me and torture me to death; I barely managed to escape the enraged group
that tricked me with a pizza delivery ploy, but I was pretty badly hurt.
Now I must get the next chapter up before they find me and seal my fate. .
.
Anyway, enough goofing around. Here we go!
*************************************
"You're the one responsible for Vale's destruction, aren't you?!" Isaac shouted at the mystery figure.
"Yes, I most certainly am; though. . .I wouldn't take the credit alone."
"I figured as much. Where there's smoke, there's bound to be fire."
"I couldn't help but notice your lack of admiration of my handiwork, Isaac. I'm disappointed in you."
"Don't patronize me."
"Who's patronizing? I'm merely stating a fact, Adept."
"Your point is taken." Isaac curtly replied, holding his Gaia Sword up. "I've defeated you before; I'll defeat you again." The figure laughed shortly before continuing.
"Doubtful. I still believe your victory was a fluke."
"I'll prove it wasn't."
"I'd like to see you bring it forth, warrior." The figure drew a rather huge blade from a scabbard and held it with both hands out in front of him. "You'll never win, Adept."
"Enough of your empty threats, Saturos! You're as good as dead!" Isaac shouted, charging at the Mars Adept.
"I was hoping you'd say that." Saturos smirked, leaping toward Isaac. Their steel swords clashed together, sending sparks flying everywhere. Isaac swung at him again laterally, but Saturos was quick enough to block with his massive bastard sword. His blood red eyes gazed back at Isaac with a fire of maniacal hatred as he swung his massive blade at him. Isaac ducked under the blade and tried to lunge into another attack, but Saturos jumped away without breaking a sweat. His white teeth contrasted with the pale blue of his skin as he smirked in bloodlust at the Venus Adept. Isaac pivoted his sword into a new attack, which Saturos blocked with no effort at all. The sinister Mars Adept swung back, grazing Isaac's left arm as he dodged away. Small bits of his tunic were shaved off by the blade as Isaac danced to the side. He could feel the burn of the wound; Saturos had knicked him with the blade, causing a scratch. Isaac dove forward and shot left, sending Saturos into a defensive position. Isaac swung his blade several times, only to have it deflected each time by Saturos. The blue- skinned Adept leapt back several feet.
"You've gotten better, Isaac. There's no doubt about that. . . Though, your skills are. . . lacking." He said, shoving his arm forward, blasting at Isaac with a Heat Wave attack. Isaac raised his Earth Shield and braced for impact, which was heavy. He could feel the searing flames get past his shield and burn his skin; it stung like no tomorrow. After the stream of fire subsided, Isaac smiled at Saturos.
"Your Psynergy needs work, Saturos. I've seen stronger heat waves in the Lamakan Desert." Isaac raised his own arm, sending an earthquake surging in the ground beneath Saturos. Shaken, but hardly damaged, Saturos smiled back.
"I say we quit messing around, Isaac. You and I both know we're both stronger than this." Isaac grunted.
"Do as you please." Isaac muttered, lunging at Saturos with his blade. He quickly blocked, but dodged backwards and away from further onslaught.
"Your eyes are blinded with rage, Isaac. I'm glad to see my little plan has worked out so well."
"One thing bugs me, Saturos. How the hell are you still alive?"
"Well, I'm not 'still' alive, but I am alive. You and your friends did indeed kill me and Menardi at the Venus Lighthouse, but we were both brought back to life."
"By whom?"
"Some foolish centaur mage working for someone named Sirius. He wanted to use us as weapons against the town of Imil, but we decided to, how do I put this?.Decline. Do you have any idea how good centaur meat roasted on a spit tastes, Isaac?" Saturos asked sinisterly.
"You said 'us'. . ."
"Isaac, look out!" Mia shouted, pointing into the trees. Isaac's eyes flashed upward, and his sword blade caught the blade of Menardi's scythe that was about to come down on him.
"So, there were two of you out here! I'm not surprised to see you pull this dirty trick!" Isaac exclaimed, kicking Menardi away with his right leg. She staggered back, and sharply replied:
"Then you shouldn't have walked right into it!" She snapped back.
"If I may continue, the foolish mage also resurrected Alex, but the spineless coward had no further intentions of joining us again. He claimed he'd rather seek out his own quest. At the very least, he lit the Jupiter Lighthouse and saved us a good deal of headache. Anyway, Sirius was a fool; seeking to control the power of Mercury. I knew the idiot was destined to fail; so I sought no alliance with him."
"So you were the trump card he spoke of."
"Indeed. Now, you know what we came for. Hand over the Elemental Star of Mars, if you value your life."
"I'd never surrender it to you."
"Perhaps if we were to take the life of your precious healer you'd understand." Menardi glowered at Mia, menacingly.
"Over my dead body would you ever hurt Mia."
"Noble. I expecting nothing less from the likes of you, Isaac. Hand it over."
"I don't even have it." Isaac replied, pausing before continuing. "So that's why you attacked Vale."
"Caught red-handed. Though, it's not exactly accurate. That was one of the reasons we burned Vale into ashes, but the other reason was revenge on you!" Menardi smirked. "Well, if you don't have it, we'll kill you anyway." Menardi and Saturos leapt forward on the attack and Isaac was forced to keep his eye on the powerful Saturos and the agile Menardi. Deflecting both scythe and sword, Isaac couldn't go on the offensive, and he was knicked several more times by both blades. Each injury burned, and he was being pushed farther and farther to the edge of the cliff. Suddenly, both evil adepts stopped, and an arrow whizzed between both of their heads, and caught Isaac in the shoulder. He yelled out in pain as he staggered back, closer to Mia. He looked as his long-range assailant.
"So, it's you? That's actually a shock." Isaac muttered, half smiling.
"Is it? I thought you would've figured it out a long time ago, Isaac." A man stated.
"It took you long enough, Edward." Saturos muttered back to his comrade.
"Why Edward? Why did you turn on the people of Imil? Our people?" Mia asked, quietly.
"Because I wanted power; the power of the Mercury Clan. Saturos and Menardi could give it to me, and I took the opportunity. Carpe Diem, after all. When I ordered the Imilians to stay and fight, I was sure they'd be wiped out. It was all part of my plan; and when they survived the first two waves, I burned their arrows so they couldn't fight back, but no. . . your friends showed up and complicated things further. Then, you and your companions slew every centaur that fought, including Sirius; I knew then that joining Saturos directly was the only way to gain power. I know now how much of a good choice I made; never have I gotten to torment so many before. No matter, however. After we light the Mars Lighthouse, I shall have all the power I desire. Now, Isaac; I hope you and your Mercury wench are ready to meet the reaper."
"Look who's pathetic now, throwing insults." Isaac muttered, arrow still jaunting from his shoulder. Isaac inched closer to Mia and the edge of the cliff. "Edward, I can't believe you sold out your own people. It's unthinkable. Only a coward would do such a thing, and for nothing more than mere power. You'll rot in Hell when this is all over."
"Well, I did it, and when I am in Hell, Isaac, I'll be having a fun time torturing you."
"That's a shame, because I don't plan on dying anytime soon. Take your shot."
"Any last words, Isaac?" Edward growled.
"Three:" Isaac started, as he stood next to Mia, sheathing his Gaia Sword. "Take a breath!" He said, suddenly tackling Mia and sending them both flying over the edge of the cliff and into the river below. The current was strong, but Isaac held onto Mia with all his might; the cold water stung his cuts and the arrow wound, but as long as he could stay with Mia, he'd be okay. The raging river pushed them farther downstream, and it seemed like horrible hours as they broke the surface of the river, half a mile from where the battle had been. Mia and Isaac gasped for air and Mia began to try to swim to shore.
"Mia! ---" Isaac exclaimed, his head going under for a second. "Let the current take you! Save your strength!" Mia did as told and latched her arms back around Isaac. They floated down the violent river for about ten minutes, when finally the current eased up and they were able to get to the opposite shore with ease. Isaac and Mia crawled from the river, both coughing up water. Isaac collapsed onto his back, gasping for air; he had spent most of the time in the water making sure Mia's head wasn't submerged, which meant his was submerged quite often. Mia, remembering Isaac's arrow wound, warned him of the pain as she extracted the arrow and began her Ply treatment. After she finished, Isaac sat forward and looked at himself and then Mia. They were both sopping wet, soaked to the marrow on a cold night. Isaac could see Mia visibly shivering, and he wrapped her into a hug to try to warm the two of them up.
"We have to move." Isaac said. "Let's get into the forest and we'll find our way back to Vale in the morning." He staggered to his feet and helped Mia up as well. His muscles ached, both from fighting with zombies and Saturos, and as well from being in the river. Mia nuzzled in close to him as they walked, trying to remain warm. The forest was thick, and rough going in the dark, but they finally reached a small circular clearing, probably about 20 feet in diameter. Isaac halted, and he paused before speaking. "This will work out fine. I'll get some of the underbrush and make a fire here." Isaac said, removing his sword from its sheathe and slicing some of the underbrush out from the bottom of the wood and dropping it in the center of the clearing.
"What are you going to use to start the fire with, Isaac? We don't have anything."
"I always come prepared." He said, reaching into his bag, and pulling out a pair of shiny black stones. He slammed them together over the underbrush several times, and sparks flew from the rocks each time, eventually setting the foliage ablaze. Mia smiled in the new illumination as Isaac fanned the fledgling fire into a roaring flame. She snuggled up next to the still- soaked Isaac. Before she could make herself comfortable, she pulled away.
"Isaac, you know you shouldn't stay in those soaked clothes; you'll catch a cold for sure." She said, removing her top layer of robes and hanging them on a tree branch.
"Uh, Mia. . ." Isaac stammered.
"Isaac, it's not like that, and you know it." Mia smiled, removing her second set of robes, leaving her final set on. Her secondary layer hang next to the first. Mia's arms were now bare, and she removed her soaked boots. The remainder of her clothes were still white and blue, much like the upper layers of her robes. Isaac was more hesitant to remove his clothes. He slowly removed his gold scarf, wringing it out after he managed to unfasten the knot. Eventually, he removed most of his clothes, save for his underclothes that he always wore beneath his tunic.
"This is a tad awkward." Isaac admitted, his face blushed.
"What? It's not like we're doing anything we might regret, right?" Mia asked. "We'd catch a chill if we stayed in those clothes. At least now we'll dry out faster."
"Still. . ." Isaac sighed, eyes closed. Mia stealthily moved next to him as he sighed and hugged him. "I wish we could get back to the others and tell them about Saturos. . . I'll never forgive myself if they get hurt because we weren't there to help them." Mia put a finger to his lips to silence him.
"They'll be fine. Garet and the others are very strong; they don't need us to fight them off. Though you know, I'd never live it down myself if they got hurt either." She sighed. "What else can we do but wait? We'll get lost if we leave the clearing; you said it yourself."
"You're right, as usual." Isaac sighed. "I can't believe what Edward did, though."
"I never trusted him, Isaac. I didn't vote for him when it came time for elections; I always thought he was hiding something. . . much like Alex. . ."
"Alex? What about him?"
"Nothing, Isaac. It's not important."
"If it's something that is bothering you, it's important."
"I. . . just always sensed Alex impure."
"Then why was he trained?"
"Because Megan and Justin were too young to begin training; they still were in training when they were killed." Mia said, voice breaking.
"Mia. . ." Isaac replied, strengthening his loving hold on Mia's thin frame. "They were family; not just to you, but to me too. I may not have known them for long, but Megan was already calling me a big brother. That meant a lot to me, Mia. What meant just as much to me was the fact that both of them made me realize how I feel about you. Those two grew close to my heart in just a couple of days. I lost a piece of myself the day they died, too."
"Isaac, I. . ." She paused. "Thank you." Isaac smiled warmly, and gazed into the night sky. The clearing gave them a good view of the stars, which glimmered brightly in the skies above. He reclined back onto the grassy ground and stared directly up at them. Mia followed, resting her head on his shoulder. "They're beautiful, aren't they?"
"The stars or you?" He replied.
"Subtle, aren't we?" Mia asked, warmly. "I was referring to the stars, Isaac."
"Yes, they are. . . I remember when Garet and I were really young, we used to want to journey out to the stars, find out what lies out there. We wanted to fly to the stars so badly."
"Was that a dream of yours?"
"When I was young and more naïve. Now, merely seeing them is enough for me; and seeing them with someone close is much better."
"Isaac. . . what will we do after our journeys are ended, and we've left Imil behind us?"
"That could be a long time away, Mia."
"I know, but what would you want to do then?"
"I don't know; maybe settle down someplace. Maybe continue exploring. I started my travels searching for my destiny, and I still haven't found what fate has in store. Perhaps I'll know someday, just not today. Though destiny hasn't been kind in the past, it has dealt me one card that can trump anything they can throw at me."
"Isaac, please. . . you're making me blush." Mia stated, truthfully. "I'm surprised the others haven't figured out about us yet."
"Dargon at least knows. I'll bet Ivan knows too; him and his mind- reading."
"How did Dargon figure it out?"
"Remember the crossbow bolt. . .?"
"Oh, yes. . ." She replied. Isaac could swear he could feel Mia's face grow warmer, but he couldn't be sure. Isaac said nothing further, rather he just gazed forth into the heavens, and he eventually lapsed into a deep, and restful slumber.
Anyway, enough goofing around. Here we go!
*************************************
"You're the one responsible for Vale's destruction, aren't you?!" Isaac shouted at the mystery figure.
"Yes, I most certainly am; though. . .I wouldn't take the credit alone."
"I figured as much. Where there's smoke, there's bound to be fire."
"I couldn't help but notice your lack of admiration of my handiwork, Isaac. I'm disappointed in you."
"Don't patronize me."
"Who's patronizing? I'm merely stating a fact, Adept."
"Your point is taken." Isaac curtly replied, holding his Gaia Sword up. "I've defeated you before; I'll defeat you again." The figure laughed shortly before continuing.
"Doubtful. I still believe your victory was a fluke."
"I'll prove it wasn't."
"I'd like to see you bring it forth, warrior." The figure drew a rather huge blade from a scabbard and held it with both hands out in front of him. "You'll never win, Adept."
"Enough of your empty threats, Saturos! You're as good as dead!" Isaac shouted, charging at the Mars Adept.
"I was hoping you'd say that." Saturos smirked, leaping toward Isaac. Their steel swords clashed together, sending sparks flying everywhere. Isaac swung at him again laterally, but Saturos was quick enough to block with his massive bastard sword. His blood red eyes gazed back at Isaac with a fire of maniacal hatred as he swung his massive blade at him. Isaac ducked under the blade and tried to lunge into another attack, but Saturos jumped away without breaking a sweat. His white teeth contrasted with the pale blue of his skin as he smirked in bloodlust at the Venus Adept. Isaac pivoted his sword into a new attack, which Saturos blocked with no effort at all. The sinister Mars Adept swung back, grazing Isaac's left arm as he dodged away. Small bits of his tunic were shaved off by the blade as Isaac danced to the side. He could feel the burn of the wound; Saturos had knicked him with the blade, causing a scratch. Isaac dove forward and shot left, sending Saturos into a defensive position. Isaac swung his blade several times, only to have it deflected each time by Saturos. The blue- skinned Adept leapt back several feet.
"You've gotten better, Isaac. There's no doubt about that. . . Though, your skills are. . . lacking." He said, shoving his arm forward, blasting at Isaac with a Heat Wave attack. Isaac raised his Earth Shield and braced for impact, which was heavy. He could feel the searing flames get past his shield and burn his skin; it stung like no tomorrow. After the stream of fire subsided, Isaac smiled at Saturos.
"Your Psynergy needs work, Saturos. I've seen stronger heat waves in the Lamakan Desert." Isaac raised his own arm, sending an earthquake surging in the ground beneath Saturos. Shaken, but hardly damaged, Saturos smiled back.
"I say we quit messing around, Isaac. You and I both know we're both stronger than this." Isaac grunted.
"Do as you please." Isaac muttered, lunging at Saturos with his blade. He quickly blocked, but dodged backwards and away from further onslaught.
"Your eyes are blinded with rage, Isaac. I'm glad to see my little plan has worked out so well."
"One thing bugs me, Saturos. How the hell are you still alive?"
"Well, I'm not 'still' alive, but I am alive. You and your friends did indeed kill me and Menardi at the Venus Lighthouse, but we were both brought back to life."
"By whom?"
"Some foolish centaur mage working for someone named Sirius. He wanted to use us as weapons against the town of Imil, but we decided to, how do I put this?.Decline. Do you have any idea how good centaur meat roasted on a spit tastes, Isaac?" Saturos asked sinisterly.
"You said 'us'. . ."
"Isaac, look out!" Mia shouted, pointing into the trees. Isaac's eyes flashed upward, and his sword blade caught the blade of Menardi's scythe that was about to come down on him.
"So, there were two of you out here! I'm not surprised to see you pull this dirty trick!" Isaac exclaimed, kicking Menardi away with his right leg. She staggered back, and sharply replied:
"Then you shouldn't have walked right into it!" She snapped back.
"If I may continue, the foolish mage also resurrected Alex, but the spineless coward had no further intentions of joining us again. He claimed he'd rather seek out his own quest. At the very least, he lit the Jupiter Lighthouse and saved us a good deal of headache. Anyway, Sirius was a fool; seeking to control the power of Mercury. I knew the idiot was destined to fail; so I sought no alliance with him."
"So you were the trump card he spoke of."
"Indeed. Now, you know what we came for. Hand over the Elemental Star of Mars, if you value your life."
"I'd never surrender it to you."
"Perhaps if we were to take the life of your precious healer you'd understand." Menardi glowered at Mia, menacingly.
"Over my dead body would you ever hurt Mia."
"Noble. I expecting nothing less from the likes of you, Isaac. Hand it over."
"I don't even have it." Isaac replied, pausing before continuing. "So that's why you attacked Vale."
"Caught red-handed. Though, it's not exactly accurate. That was one of the reasons we burned Vale into ashes, but the other reason was revenge on you!" Menardi smirked. "Well, if you don't have it, we'll kill you anyway." Menardi and Saturos leapt forward on the attack and Isaac was forced to keep his eye on the powerful Saturos and the agile Menardi. Deflecting both scythe and sword, Isaac couldn't go on the offensive, and he was knicked several more times by both blades. Each injury burned, and he was being pushed farther and farther to the edge of the cliff. Suddenly, both evil adepts stopped, and an arrow whizzed between both of their heads, and caught Isaac in the shoulder. He yelled out in pain as he staggered back, closer to Mia. He looked as his long-range assailant.
"So, it's you? That's actually a shock." Isaac muttered, half smiling.
"Is it? I thought you would've figured it out a long time ago, Isaac." A man stated.
"It took you long enough, Edward." Saturos muttered back to his comrade.
"Why Edward? Why did you turn on the people of Imil? Our people?" Mia asked, quietly.
"Because I wanted power; the power of the Mercury Clan. Saturos and Menardi could give it to me, and I took the opportunity. Carpe Diem, after all. When I ordered the Imilians to stay and fight, I was sure they'd be wiped out. It was all part of my plan; and when they survived the first two waves, I burned their arrows so they couldn't fight back, but no. . . your friends showed up and complicated things further. Then, you and your companions slew every centaur that fought, including Sirius; I knew then that joining Saturos directly was the only way to gain power. I know now how much of a good choice I made; never have I gotten to torment so many before. No matter, however. After we light the Mars Lighthouse, I shall have all the power I desire. Now, Isaac; I hope you and your Mercury wench are ready to meet the reaper."
"Look who's pathetic now, throwing insults." Isaac muttered, arrow still jaunting from his shoulder. Isaac inched closer to Mia and the edge of the cliff. "Edward, I can't believe you sold out your own people. It's unthinkable. Only a coward would do such a thing, and for nothing more than mere power. You'll rot in Hell when this is all over."
"Well, I did it, and when I am in Hell, Isaac, I'll be having a fun time torturing you."
"That's a shame, because I don't plan on dying anytime soon. Take your shot."
"Any last words, Isaac?" Edward growled.
"Three:" Isaac started, as he stood next to Mia, sheathing his Gaia Sword. "Take a breath!" He said, suddenly tackling Mia and sending them both flying over the edge of the cliff and into the river below. The current was strong, but Isaac held onto Mia with all his might; the cold water stung his cuts and the arrow wound, but as long as he could stay with Mia, he'd be okay. The raging river pushed them farther downstream, and it seemed like horrible hours as they broke the surface of the river, half a mile from where the battle had been. Mia and Isaac gasped for air and Mia began to try to swim to shore.
"Mia! ---" Isaac exclaimed, his head going under for a second. "Let the current take you! Save your strength!" Mia did as told and latched her arms back around Isaac. They floated down the violent river for about ten minutes, when finally the current eased up and they were able to get to the opposite shore with ease. Isaac and Mia crawled from the river, both coughing up water. Isaac collapsed onto his back, gasping for air; he had spent most of the time in the water making sure Mia's head wasn't submerged, which meant his was submerged quite often. Mia, remembering Isaac's arrow wound, warned him of the pain as she extracted the arrow and began her Ply treatment. After she finished, Isaac sat forward and looked at himself and then Mia. They were both sopping wet, soaked to the marrow on a cold night. Isaac could see Mia visibly shivering, and he wrapped her into a hug to try to warm the two of them up.
"We have to move." Isaac said. "Let's get into the forest and we'll find our way back to Vale in the morning." He staggered to his feet and helped Mia up as well. His muscles ached, both from fighting with zombies and Saturos, and as well from being in the river. Mia nuzzled in close to him as they walked, trying to remain warm. The forest was thick, and rough going in the dark, but they finally reached a small circular clearing, probably about 20 feet in diameter. Isaac halted, and he paused before speaking. "This will work out fine. I'll get some of the underbrush and make a fire here." Isaac said, removing his sword from its sheathe and slicing some of the underbrush out from the bottom of the wood and dropping it in the center of the clearing.
"What are you going to use to start the fire with, Isaac? We don't have anything."
"I always come prepared." He said, reaching into his bag, and pulling out a pair of shiny black stones. He slammed them together over the underbrush several times, and sparks flew from the rocks each time, eventually setting the foliage ablaze. Mia smiled in the new illumination as Isaac fanned the fledgling fire into a roaring flame. She snuggled up next to the still- soaked Isaac. Before she could make herself comfortable, she pulled away.
"Isaac, you know you shouldn't stay in those soaked clothes; you'll catch a cold for sure." She said, removing her top layer of robes and hanging them on a tree branch.
"Uh, Mia. . ." Isaac stammered.
"Isaac, it's not like that, and you know it." Mia smiled, removing her second set of robes, leaving her final set on. Her secondary layer hang next to the first. Mia's arms were now bare, and she removed her soaked boots. The remainder of her clothes were still white and blue, much like the upper layers of her robes. Isaac was more hesitant to remove his clothes. He slowly removed his gold scarf, wringing it out after he managed to unfasten the knot. Eventually, he removed most of his clothes, save for his underclothes that he always wore beneath his tunic.
"This is a tad awkward." Isaac admitted, his face blushed.
"What? It's not like we're doing anything we might regret, right?" Mia asked. "We'd catch a chill if we stayed in those clothes. At least now we'll dry out faster."
"Still. . ." Isaac sighed, eyes closed. Mia stealthily moved next to him as he sighed and hugged him. "I wish we could get back to the others and tell them about Saturos. . . I'll never forgive myself if they get hurt because we weren't there to help them." Mia put a finger to his lips to silence him.
"They'll be fine. Garet and the others are very strong; they don't need us to fight them off. Though you know, I'd never live it down myself if they got hurt either." She sighed. "What else can we do but wait? We'll get lost if we leave the clearing; you said it yourself."
"You're right, as usual." Isaac sighed. "I can't believe what Edward did, though."
"I never trusted him, Isaac. I didn't vote for him when it came time for elections; I always thought he was hiding something. . . much like Alex. . ."
"Alex? What about him?"
"Nothing, Isaac. It's not important."
"If it's something that is bothering you, it's important."
"I. . . just always sensed Alex impure."
"Then why was he trained?"
"Because Megan and Justin were too young to begin training; they still were in training when they were killed." Mia said, voice breaking.
"Mia. . ." Isaac replied, strengthening his loving hold on Mia's thin frame. "They were family; not just to you, but to me too. I may not have known them for long, but Megan was already calling me a big brother. That meant a lot to me, Mia. What meant just as much to me was the fact that both of them made me realize how I feel about you. Those two grew close to my heart in just a couple of days. I lost a piece of myself the day they died, too."
"Isaac, I. . ." She paused. "Thank you." Isaac smiled warmly, and gazed into the night sky. The clearing gave them a good view of the stars, which glimmered brightly in the skies above. He reclined back onto the grassy ground and stared directly up at them. Mia followed, resting her head on his shoulder. "They're beautiful, aren't they?"
"The stars or you?" He replied.
"Subtle, aren't we?" Mia asked, warmly. "I was referring to the stars, Isaac."
"Yes, they are. . . I remember when Garet and I were really young, we used to want to journey out to the stars, find out what lies out there. We wanted to fly to the stars so badly."
"Was that a dream of yours?"
"When I was young and more naïve. Now, merely seeing them is enough for me; and seeing them with someone close is much better."
"Isaac. . . what will we do after our journeys are ended, and we've left Imil behind us?"
"That could be a long time away, Mia."
"I know, but what would you want to do then?"
"I don't know; maybe settle down someplace. Maybe continue exploring. I started my travels searching for my destiny, and I still haven't found what fate has in store. Perhaps I'll know someday, just not today. Though destiny hasn't been kind in the past, it has dealt me one card that can trump anything they can throw at me."
"Isaac, please. . . you're making me blush." Mia stated, truthfully. "I'm surprised the others haven't figured out about us yet."
"Dargon at least knows. I'll bet Ivan knows too; him and his mind- reading."
"How did Dargon figure it out?"
"Remember the crossbow bolt. . .?"
"Oh, yes. . ." She replied. Isaac could swear he could feel Mia's face grow warmer, but he couldn't be sure. Isaac said nothing further, rather he just gazed forth into the heavens, and he eventually lapsed into a deep, and restful slumber.