Woohoo I'm done with my evil senior thesis! And it was only 22 pages long. -_- Yeah. Well, I don't feel like dwelling on the past, so let's forget about that vile thing and focus on the fun stuff—fanfiction! ^_^ But first, these important messages:
Griffinkhan: 1) Yes it is a weird coincidence! I was quite surprised at it myself. 2) What, Jupiter Adepts can't "size each other up" when they meet? I sort of assumed that they'd all do a little Mind Reading when they met to get to know each other. I guess I should've written that in… ^^; Nothing slips by your eye does it? ^_^
"Seatbelts": I'm sorry but this issue isn't up for debate. I've been calling him Picard since I wrote "Adrift in Despair" over half a year ago, and I've gotten very attached to the name. "Picard" is a French name too, and it has a certain je ne sais quoi that "Piers" doesn't. Next time you have a problem with something in my writing please be a little bit nicer in voicing your opinion. I detest rudeness.
*Mind over Matter*
Ivan didn't waste any time, lunging for Tristan with his staff at the ready. The other Jupiter Adept put up his own staff to block and proceeded to whack Ivan away like a piece of paper. His physical strength was much greater than his outward appearance suggested, but it only took Ivan a moment to deduce why--Impact Psynergy. Two could play at that game. He cast the spell, feeling his lean muscles bulge with a burst of power, and made another jab at Tristan.
"Good. Very good." he sneered. "I'm quite impressed."
"Can it, Tristan! I want to know why you've done all of this. And what do you want with Sheba?"
"Curious, aren't we? You should be more concerned about yourself. I wouldn't dream of harming Sheba." His staff crackled with electricity and let fly a searing purple bolt. Ivan dodged the shot and countered with his own, only to miss and be struck by a follow up blast from Tristan. The blue-black-haired Jupiter Adept grinned menacingly and formed a ball of blue fire in his left hand.
"What's that supposed to be?" Ivan asked. It looked exactly like the flame used by the sea serpent and the huge bird monsters. And now that Ivan thought about it, those creatures had been the same shade of blue-black as Tristan's hair. What did that mean?
"When you've lived as long as I have, you learn to expand beyond your original horizons. While it is true that Jupiter Psynergy is the best, even it has its limitations. I picked up this trick from a Mercurian warrior I met once long ago."
"But that's impossible."
"Is it? I assure you this flame is very real. Feel it yourself." Tristan hurled the fireball. Ivan jumped over it and it crashed into the far wall, leaving a scorched indentation in the white stone. "Beat that if you dare."
Ivan gripped his staff with both hands, raising it above his head. Sheba, he thought, if you can hear me, please guide my power. A barrage of purple bolts thundered down from above. It wasn't quite potent enough to be Spark Plasma, but it was clearly stronger than Shine Plasma. Tristan lifted an eyebrow in surprise, but he didn't even flinch.
"Face it, child. You don't stand a chance against me."
"Well I'm not going to stand here and let you hurt my friends. I'd rather die trying to save them."
"Typical. Lucky for you, I can't let that happen. I need you alive in order for this to work."
"For what to work?"
"You'll see." Tristan sent out a huge funnel of wind, which sucked Ivan up, spun him around and threw him across the room. But Ivan managed to kick-off from the wall and spiral back, casting Destruct Ray as he went. The largest bolt knocked Tristan down, and he was immediately hit from another direction by more lightning. Ivan skidded to a landing before his opponent and tried to cast Spark Plasma again. But like before, it wasn't quite right. Tristan staggered to his feet and let fly another blue fireball, singeing the edge of Ivan's cape. He cast Impact on himself again and lunged, tackling Ivan to the ground and then lifting him up by the neck.
"Are we through with this foolish game now?" he inquired. "Or do you want me to knock you around some more?"
Ivan surged with purple light, unleashing Tornado to try and free himself. To his relief, Tristan lost his grip and slid across the floor. Ivan massaged his neck a moment, coughing slightly, before getting whacked with…Clay Spire? It couldn't be! How could a Jupiter Adept ever cast and earthen spell like that?!
"You seem surprised," said Tristan. "I warned you that I had expanded beyond my horizons."
"How?" Ivan whispered. "How did you do that?"
But Tristan didn't answer. Instead, he launched an all-out assault with the speed of a hurricane, a fury of attacks coming at Ivan in all directions. And they were Psynergies of every variety, ranging from earthquakes to lava streams to columns of water and back to lightning bolts. He knew attacks from each element! Ivan didn't try to retaliate--only survive by dodging every surprise. He unleashed Zephyr to boost his speed, making this task easier, but one well-placed Gaia attack was all it took send him crashing into the wall. He pulled himself up into a sitting position, leaning against the wall, but lacked the strength to move any more than that.
"I haven't had this much fun in ages. If I didn't need you for my ceremony, I'd keep you around just for amusement!"
This isn't good, Ivan thought, being extra careful to guard his mind from prying outsiders. I don't know how this guy's doing it, but he can cross elemental lines. There's no way I can beat him at this rate. He looked to Sheba and the others, wishing that at least one of them could come to his aid, but that clearly wasn't an option. And no doubt Garet and Felix were either otherwise occupied or too busy fighting each other to help. Tristan had obviously planned this whole thing out to the letter.
The skylight above displayed an increasing array of stars. Tristan looked up and his confident expression wavered slightly. "Time is waning. Are you ready to give up, Ivan?"
And that was when Ivan got his brilliant idea. If he couldn't defeat Tristan in battle, he would have to try and outsmart him. And time was apparently an important factor in whatever he was planning. Tactic: stall.
"I'll surrender to you on one condition--that you tell me what all of this is about."
"You have a lot of nerve making demands of me," Tristan glowered. Then he smirked again. "But you're obviously no longer in any shape to fight, so why not? Where would you like me to begin?"
"What's this 'ceremony' you keep talking about?"
"The key to my longevity. It is an ancient incantation I discovered long ago that guarantees eternal life and greater power if done correctly. Every twenty-five years, at a certain time on the night of a new moon, I must perform it to retain my youth and expand my abilities as an Adept. It has allowed me to live for over three centuries and makes me more powerful with each passing day."
"And what exactly do you do during this 'ceremony?'"
"Your group had perfect timing--arriving here just days before I needed to continue my ritual. You see, in order for this to work, I require one Adept from each clan, something that's getting harder and harder to come by these days. I was worried that I wasn't going to find what I needed in time, but then I received a premonition telling me that eight Adepts were going to sail close by, so I created that sea serpent to redirect you here. You were all so easily duped."
Ivan narrowed his eyes. "I see. So you were the one behind those monster attacks, and the stories about people disappearing from your village were all lies."
"Of course. I've become so powerful over the years that I can create illusions that even advanced Jupiter Adepts cannot detect. That whole village and all the people in it are mere mirages that I set up to lure you here. And my palace is perfectly disguised as a mountain. Clever, isn't it?"
It's sickening, Ivan thought, disgusted at Tristan and at himself for not picking up on this sooner. But he willed himself to focus. He had to keep Tristan talking. He had to stall. What time was it? The sun had already set and it was hard to tell time with no moon in the sky. Was Tristan arrogant enough to disclose exactly when this ceremony had to be completed? Doubtful—better not risk it.
"So you've been luring everyone here one at a time so you could steal their life forces," he said. "And right now you have one Venus, one Mars, two Mercury and two Jupiter."
"The Lemurian was an added bonus. I did not seek to capture him—he followed me here and discovered my secret so I couldn't let him go. It's risky keeping him alive, I admit, but I was hoping to read his mind later and see if I can learn anything new. The girl Mercury Adept was luckily swept ashore by one of my monsters and also served as the perfect bait to get the rest of you here. The Venus Adept I found pacing aimlessly along the beach the night before I met you. He put up quite a fight when I tried to capture him, but it wasn't anything I couldn't handle. Miss Jenna's curiosity was her undoing—I lured her here easily. And with you here, I have a Jupiter Adept to use too."
"That still doesn't explain what you want with Sheba. What could you possibly gain from feeding her those lies about the 'Child of Jupiter' and this being her true home? If you intended on using me for your ceremony, then why bother tricking her?"
At this, Tristan's expression changed from the smirking arrogance to one of longing. "Do you have any idea how hard it is to live alone for so long? For years I have searched for someone to share my riches and powers with, someone worthy of everything I've built. When I saw Sheba in my premonition, I knew that she was the one I've been longing for. I've never met someone so innocent and powerful. And she has immense potential as an Adept. There is no one else I would rather spend an eternity with."
Ivan stared at Tristan like he was crazy. After all of this, how in the world could he think that Sheba would return his affection?
"Of course, I couldn't be straight with Sheba from the start," Tristan continued. "Not when I still needed Adepts for my ceremony. So I scanned her mind and found out her deepest desire and told her what she wanted to hear. She and I are very much alike—both of us alone without anyone to turn to. I created that story for her, so she wouldn't feel lonely anymore. And once this night is over, the two of us can live here together forever."
"And you honestly think Sheba will go for that?" Ivan demanded. "You lied to her, Tristan! And you're going to end up killing all of her closest friends! How could you ever expect her to forgive you for something so criminal?"
"You think I don't know that?" Tristan tightened his free hand into a trembling fist. "I can make it right. I can use my power to wipe her memory clean of all of you. She won't remember any of you—only what I have told her about her past. And she can be happy…"
Ivan pulled himself to his feet, his balance wavering slightly. "Then what you want is to live a lie. You won't really have her love because you tricked her into feeling that way! All you will have is a living doll—an empty puppet on a string that you manipulated and controlled into acting the way you wanted her to!"
"Don't say that! It didn't have to be this way! You were the one who kept getting in my way! Everything would've gone so much more smoothly if not for her love for you!"
"What?" Ivan was shocked. Sheba loved him?!
"Don't pretend like you have no idea what I'm talking about," said Tristan in a low voice. "It's plain as day that she loves you and that you love her—it shines from both of you brighter than lightning! But I won't let you have her, Ivan! She's mine!"
The words were barely registering in Ivan's mind. He was trying to sort everything out. It was true that he had a special bond with Sheba, but was that bond he felt actually love? He stole a glance at her and wondered if this could be true. Could they really be in love with each other and not have known it?
He was so distracted that he didn't realize that Tristan had moved closer. He seized Ivan again and started dragging him towards the empty column. "It is time, Ivan. I will have my renewed youth, my enhanced power and the woman I love. And there isn't anything you can do to stop me!"
"I don't think so!" Ivan said, breaking free of the grip. He'd had enough time to recover some of his strength and unleashed it in the form of Shine Plasma. Angered, Tristan whirled and cast Quake Sphere but Ivan jumped out of the way.
"You try my patience, boy! I will not be denied!"
Above on the columns, Isaac, Mia and Jenna began to glow in the colors of their elements. Tristan lunged for Ivan in desperation but the hour had grown too late. His window of opportunity for reciting his incantation had vanished and the last required ingredient hadn't been properly placed in time. Ivan watched in surprise and horror as Tristan wretched and contorted, howling in pain.
"No!" he gasped out. "My life…my power!"
"You lose, Tristan," Ivan said solemnly. "I outsmarted you by stalling until you were out of time. Someone as old as you should know that you can't cheat death forever—especially not when you play with the lives of other people!"
"Sheba…!" It was the last thing Tristan ever said, as his body turned gray and crumbled to ashes.
The light show stopped and Ivan heard the sound of chains clicking open and low groans from the others as they started to come around. He smiled slightly and went to where Sheba sat on the throne. "Sheba, are you OK?" he asked.
No response. She remained sitting perfectly still like a statue. Ivan grasped her shoulders and shook her. "Sheba? Sheba, it's me—Ivan! Come on!"
Something was rumbling deep within the bowels of the fortress. The ground shook and the walls and columns started to crumble. The others were up and about now, still slightly dazed and confused, but came to the realization that they couldn't remain in this place any longer. Picard picked Sheba up and together the whole group fled as Tristan's home collapsed.