Chapter 4: Mia's decision

-

"Jenna, Kraden." Garet yelled, rushing up the steps to the top of the lighthouse. "Are you ok?"

"Wait Garet." Mia called after him, but it was no use. "Come back. It's to dangerous."

"Let them go!" Garet shouted.

Saturos turned round to face him, smiling. Behind him, Menardi stood with Jenna and a petrified Kraden. They were both amused by Garet's attempt to save his friends. Isaac rushed after Garet followed by Ivan and Mia. He was worried by the consequences of his friend, Garet's foolish reaction. Saturos approached the party of four, smirking at each of them in turn.

"You honestly think that we are going to let your friends go like that?" He laughed at them mockingly, causing Garet's temper to rise.

"If you don't let our friends go right now, then we're going to have to make sure that we get them back ourselves." Garet threatened.

"Enough of the small talk. It's about time I destroyed you once and for all." Saturos growled, preparing himself for a fight.

"What. Saturos, your not going to fight them alone are you? I don't mind helping." Menardi asked, shocked by Saturos' choice to fight alone.

"No. You look after Jenna and Kraden." Saturos insisted. "It only takes one of us to finish these, children, off."

"Well.if you're sure." Menardi replied. "I suppose it shouldn't be to hard to finish them off. Go ahead."

"Thank you." Saturos smirked, preparing to attack them. "As I said, it shouldn't be to hard finishing them off."

Before anyone had a chance to speak he attacked, wrapping Garet in delusion. He smirked at Isaac, who was preparing to summon Ramses with his preset Dijinn. Ivan struck Saturos with Plasma, knocking him backwards, followed by Isaac's summoning of Ramses. Mia quickly cast ply, curing Isaac's hp fully.

Menardi watched from where she stood with Jenna and Kraden as Saturos lost the battle to these young children. She pitied Garet who was nearly exhausted of all his energy, still wrapped in delusion. She looked back round at Jenna. She was crying.

"Pull yourself together Menardi." She scolded herself under her breath. "It's not in your nature to get over emotional about people you don't even know."
But even she could see the way Mia looked at Isaac. The love and adoration for him in her eyes as she glanced across at him. Mia was terribly afraid of losing Isaac. She tried and tried to cure him, but all her effort appeared to be in vain. She was losing him fast. A tear trickled down her cheek as she ran out of psynergy.

"Mia." Ivan called to her. "Leave Isaac. It's important you heal Garet. We need his summoning of Kirin to beat Saturos. Even if you don't revive Isaac, there's still a chance that we might get him to a sanctum in time."

Mia didn't look up. Another tear trickled down her cheek; she was terrified that she might lose him. He had been a good friend to her even though they barely knew each other. He had stuck by her the whole time and she wished to do the same for him.

"Mia, please listen." Ivan begged. "If you cure Isaac, he will only gain a quarter of his hp. All of his Dijinn are still recovering as well as his critically low psynergy. If you cure Garet then he can summon Kirin. Saturos is struggling now. Garet's summon could finish him off."

A multitude of tears splashed on to the stone floor of the lighthouse. She pushed herself unsteadily to her feet, staring broken heartedly down at Isaac. She turned away from him, tears streaming from her eyes as she went over to cure Garet.

"You're doing the right thing." Ivan promised as she bent over the injured mars adept. "Everything will be ok.I promise."

She placed her hand on Garet's forehead, crying more than ever. A cool mist surrounded him as she cast ply. Ivan watched as Garet lifted himself off the floor, almost fully revived. He joined Ivan opposite Saturos. Mia dropped to her knees, over come with despair.

"Mia." Ivan called inaudibly under the noise of Garet's summon. "I'm sorry."

Saturos fell to the floor, barely conscious as the noise died down. Garet grinned despite the heartbreak around him. Mia was still sobbing. Ivan looked at her sadly. He bent down beside her, trying his best to comfort her.

"It's ok Mia. You made the right choice." Ivan told her softly. "It was either Isaac or all of us."

"Alex!" Mia said, looking ahead of her. "Alex, how could you betray me like this?"

"Huh?" Ivan said, looking up at the blue haired adept that seemed to have just appeared before his very eyes.

"Mia." Alex replied, looking at the devastated mercury adept with pity. "It's been a long time."

Mia rose to her feet, no longer crying, followed by Ivan. She stood staring at him in disbelief; unable to believe he was there. He looked back at her, raising an aqua eyebrow. The two mercury adepts appeared to be communicating without uttering a word.

"I hate to interrupt," Garet butted in. "But I'd like to know what's going on? Do you two know each other?"

"It so happens that we do." Alex replied, still staring at Mia. "In fact we know each other very well."

"So.what's the story?" Garet asked, suddenly interested in what Alex had to say.

"It doesn't matter. I have more important things to discuss with you." He said, hurriedly dismissing the subject of his and Mia's past. "It's important I explain Saturos' situation in your battle."

"Well?" Garet asked impatiently. "What is there to tell? We beat him fair and square. He didn't stand a chance."

"In the battle, you had a far greater advantage than Saturos." Alex argued, obviously annoyed by Garet's hotheaded attitude. "In this light house Saturos wasn't capable of using his full power. Bearing in mind that this IS the mercury lighthouse. The lighthouse drained half of Saturos' energy."

Garet frowned, unable to find a suitable argument to counter Alex's remarks. Mia was still looking at him, disappointed with Alex.

"Why did you betray me?" She asked again, searching his face for signs of an answer.

"I didn't betray you Mia." He replied, looking into her eyes. "I did what I had to do. It was hardly betrayal."

As he spoke, Saturos lifted himself from the floor, brushing himself down. Alex smirked at them as Saturos came over to stand beside him.

"So, I see you've finally decided to recover." Alex told Saturos, not taking his eyes off Mia.

"Alex.you mean.you." Mia stammered, not able to believe that he had let her down again. "The whole time you were giving Saturos time to recover."

"I'm afraid so." Alex grinned at her. "I was hardly going to let you children recover the elemental stars and rescue our hostages."

A dull light surrounded them causing both him and Saturos to vanish, reappearing next to Menardi. Saturos summoned the others to follow him on to the elevator. Menardi followed, dragging Jenna and Kraden with her. "Good bye Mia." Alex laughed as the elevator dropped, taking their friends with him, back to the bottom of the lighthouse.