Welcome back! Chapter 5 is here!

(Dew): You should have posted it faster after that last cliffhanger!

Be happy I posted it at all.

(Dew): You wouldn't dare not post the next chapter.

And why not?

(Dew): Because somehow you're getting good reviews for this thing.

Life's full of surprises, isn't it?

(Dew): True. *picks up a stool and smashes Omniflyer over the head with it*

Ackpth! What was that for?

(Dew): It's a surprise. ^_^

-_-* Typical.



In response to the reviews (wow, I actually have some to respond to!)



To MercuryAdept: Interesting...Very interesting, in fact. I can't believe I missed that. Three Gold Points to Mercury Adept for catching that!

(Dew): What do the Gold Points do?

If you get enough of them, you can read my stories on ff.net!

(Dew): Can't you do that anyway?

...it's a work in progress.

(Dew): *smack*



Disclaimer: (To the theme of 'Camptown Races')

I don't own Golden Sun today (do-dah, do-dah)

So please don't sue me; I can't pay (oh-di-dee do-dah day)



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Chapter 5

The First Calm



Garet stood looking over the battlefield from where they had set up camp yesterday. Through all the pain of battle, of seeing people killed and blood stain the ground, the most painful part now was knowing that his best friend lay out there somewhere; maybe alive...maybe not.

Garet eventually turned his back on the sight and left for Vault. The forces had taken such a beating (due mostly to the Mimics) that they were struggling to reform themselves for the next attack.

The injured were the biggest problem, though. Felix spoke with the commander of the army and decided that the five of them (the group of Adepts, now referred to as five, which pained Garet even more) would take the injured to Bilibin. A temporary healing station had been set up in Bilibin, to care for the forces from Kalay that were injured. It was the best way to help now, Felix reasoned. With their abilities to use such techniques as Carry and Move, they could easily get many injured back to the healing station in no time.

It was a sad day, indeed. The sky itself seemed to be crying, as the setting Sol left way for dark clouds from the north to overtake the sky, blocking out Luna and drenching the land in droplets.

Garet ran into Jenna and Sheba at the outskirts of Vault, just as the last of the injured were being loaded into caravans and ready to move.

"Are we ready to go?" he asked Jenna.

"Yes," she said softly. "We'll leave first thing in the morning...right after we get some light." Her eyes were red, and Garet saw that she was taking this worse than he was.

"I still want to try and find Isaac," Garet said. He could be very stubborn about things when he wanted to, and this was something he didn't want to let go of.

"We can't right now," Sheba reminded him. "We have to get these people to Bilibin." Garet tried to interrupt but she kept talking. "No, don't you see? Isaac joined this war to stop as many people from being hurt as he could. We have to keep going to stop these people from being hurt worse, for him. It's what he would want."

"You're acting like he's already dead!" Garet burst, the Mars temper now showing itself.

"He may as well be," Felix interrupted, appearing from behind them, "if he isn't already."

"Felix!" Jenna cried. "How can you say that?!"

"Isaac would have returned to us if he could. He was probably the target of that Tempest spell cast that ended the battle. If he was in the middle of that...then there's nothing we can do for him now," he said sadly.

"Isaac is stronger than any of us!" Garet admitted. "Even me!"

"But he has limits, just like any person does. And being blasted by an extremely powerful, team spell of an element you're weak against...those are the limits," Felix concluded. "As much as we hate it...Isaac is dead."

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

The night came and went without much excitement, save for some very broken emotions and a chorus of crying. Eventually, the clouds that had plagued the battlefield overnight parted, and Sol rose to shed new light on a grim day. With the rain finally gone and the whole day before them, what remained of the party, the five of them, left, bringing the injured in tow, about 150 of them in caravans, stretchers and some on horseback if they had the strength.

As part of a recent trade deal between Bilibin and Kalay, a path was cut over the mountain so merchants and people could cross without having to rely on the hazards of the cave that cut through it. Felix lead the assortment of malady-stricken soldiers across the mountain range. By nightfall, they had reached Bilibin, and saw, much to their relief, that the healing station was positioned just outside the town and they would not have to navigate the city to find it. They were approached by a young nurse, who lead them to the infirmary. The inside of the infirmary was very cozy. In fact, Felix was amazed that they managed to build such a lovely building on such short notice. The interior was quite spacey and could easily accommodate the injured. The walls were ivory in colour, and a large recreational area out back provided fresh air for the recovering. Felix almost wished he was injured. Then he remembered Isaac and quickly regretted it.

"This place is really quite amazing," Ivan said to a nurse who was passing by. "How long did it take to build?"

"Oh, not that long, actually," she replied. "We got a lot of support from the townsfolk who helped us, and those who came here fleeing from Vault were quite helpful, too. We even got some folk from places as far off as Imil to help us!"

"Imil, you say?" Ivan wondered.

"Yes, but the few who arrived from there were mostly healers."

"Can you tell me," Ivan asked, excited, "what their names were?"

"Certainly,' she said. "There were two older healers...their names were...Micheal and...Jori, I believe. And the healer who they were with was very pretty...her name was...oh, dear, it was..."

"Mia?" Ivan supplied.

"Yes, yes, that was it," the nurse smiled.

"Can you tell me where to find Mia?" he pried.

"Of course. The last time I saw Mia, she was in the office. Down this hall, fifth door on the right," she offered helpfully.

"Thank you!" Ivan replied, running off to find Mia. It had been so long since he had seen her, he was sure she would be happy to see him and the others, as well. He was sure she missed him, Sheba, Garet, Jenna, Felix and...Isaac...

Ivan slowed his pace. How could he break this news to her? He didn't have long to ponder this, because just when he was thinking, a blue-haired healer stepped out of the room in front of him.

"Mia!" Ivan yelped in surprise. "You're here!"

"Ivan?" she revelled. "I can't believe it! It's so great to see you! Are all the others here too?"

"Yes," Ivan replied, only half a lie.

"I never expected to see you here! Let me guess, Isaac decided to help with the war and you guys all got dragged into it?" Her summary was startlingly accurate for a non-Jupiter Adept.

"Yeah," Ivan said shortly. Mia paused.

"What's wrong Ivan? You seem...distracted," she wondered.

"Well...Mia...it's like this..." Ivan stumbled. Mia looked at him curiously, and Ivan suddenly snapped his fingers.

"Here, take my hand," he offered. Mia took it, and suddenly Mia's consciousness was flooded with the events of the last couple days. She laughed as she saw Garet fall in the river, felt Ivan's apprehension the morning before the battle (Was that really only yesterday morning, Ivan wondered. I feel so much older...) and felt her own grief and sorrow as she saw the battle and the Tempest attack. But mostly, she felt her own pain at seeing the events as they related to Isaac.

"Isaac...is..." She couldn't find the strength to finish that sentence. Ivan bowed his head.

"He was the greatest of all of us. Even Garet could admit that," he said quietly. Mia nodded.

"It's going to be hard to do this without him," she said. Ivan smiled at her sadly as he walked towards where the others were.

"Harder for some of us than others."

"What's that supposed to mean?"

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

That night, a fire burned softly out behind the building. The group of Adepts, now Mia included, surrounded it, bowed their heads, and thought their last thoughts about Isaac. Ivan was thinking that it was far too early to be remembering Isaac for who he was and saying goodbye, but it was better they dealt with this now than later, especially given the circumstances.

"He was a good friend," Felix said. "He wasn't afraid to stand up for what he believed in. And he was always ready to help someone in need."

Mia nodded. "The first time he helped me...was at the Mercury Lighthouse. He not only moved two statues out of my way but he killed that beast that was blocking my path." Both Garet and Ivan chuckled, remembering how frustrated Mia had gotten trying to get past all those obstacles alone.

"He was a strong fighter, too," Garet offered. "I remember...at Colosso..."

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

Isaac was tired. That much was certain. He had just finished the third obstacle course of the day, and collected the equipment moments before his opponent. And now they faced, and Isaac was worried.

After all, he was at a huge disadvantage. His opponent was physically stronger than him, bigger than him and older than him. The only physical advantage Isaac had was his speed and he intended to use it. After all, he didn't want to use Psynergy if he could avoid it...

His opponent charged him, and Isaac nimbly evaded the attack. Bringing his sword around, he tried to slash at his opponent's torso, but it was too well defended with armour. Isaac decided he had to try a different method of attacking.

Once more his opponent charged him, but this time instead of slashing, Isaac simply spun underneath his legs and tried to trip him up. It worked, but unfortunately, the other warrior landed on top of him. Isaac was winded, and the other warrior stood up. He lowered his weapon for the final strike, but thankfully Isaac managed to get his weapon up to block.

Isaac knew that he was in a bad position, and he needed a new strategy that would work. Unfortunately, he only had one last chance at it. He knew that if he took much longer, the opponent would be able to take him out on the next attack.

He knew Babi wanted to see some Psynergy, and he knew the fans wanted to see their money's worth. So, with a call of "Ragnarok!" and some flashy psynergy skills, Isaac managed to drop the other warrior just long enough to be crowned Colosso Champion.

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

"Those were good times," Ivan smiled.

"They certainly were," Garet said.

"Even I enjoyed the finals," said Sheba, who, despite her imprisonment, could still see the finals as they were held in Tolbi. After all, where could she run to?

"Although, if you recall," Mia smirked, "Isaac lost consciousness because of exhaustion after the final battle."

"That was really nerve wracking," Garet said.

"So nerve wracking, in fact, that a certain someone ate all of Isaac's share of the food while he was unconscious," Ivan said.

"Hey, he wasn't eating it, and it was going to go to waste," Garet smiled sadly. Ivan nodded, and let his thoughts roam again.

"Do you remember his Megiddo attack...Garet...from the Sol Blade?" Garet nodded.

"I could never get that to work," he smiled. "Apparently the attack draws on your soul. The purer and more powerful your soul is, the more power you get into it."

"Isaac was the only one of us who could use it," Felix smiled sadly.

"Isaac..." Mia trailed. "How could we let this happen to you...?"

A few awkward moments of silence passed, and eventually, at the same time as if it was co-ordinated, both Mia and Jenna started crying at the same time.

"He was..." Ivan said, obviously holding back tears as well, "...a great guy. He was the kind of person...you were proud to call your friend." Garet closed his eyes.

"Isaac...wherever you are, buddy...stay safe."

Jenna had her face buried in her hands, now. "It's going to be... hard to do this... without you Isaac," she cried.

"Fate is truly fickle," Felix mumbled, trying hard to keep his voice even, "to allow you, of all of us, to be the one to fall." Sheba gave him a sad smile.

"You know that even if it was going to be another one of us to fall...Isaac would have taken our place," she whispered.

"Without hesitation," Ivan nodded slowly.

"And now...now, he's gone. And we didn't do anything about it," Garet said, so quietly it was barely heard by all.

"That's the worst part," Ivan bowed his head. "By the time we realized he was alone...it was too late... And we let him go."

"He wouldn't have," Jenna sniffed. "He would have come to find us." Sheba sniffled.

"And when it was needed...where were we...?"

The chorus of crying from the girls was made heard again, and this time even Ivan and Garet had a hard time keeping their eyes dry. Everyone stared into the fire, remembering their fallen friend, and wondering what would happen now without his strength to lead them.

The fire began to shrink, and soon it was no more than a burning ember. Yet, still, Mia, who had been choked by tears since the crying began, felt obligated to make one last promise to him.

"We'll always remember you, Isaac," Mia sniffled. Then softer, so no one could hear, "I'll always remember you..."

And those were the last words spoken. Mostly because no one needed words anymore. There wasn't a dry eye around the fire anymore. Even Felix, through his cold exterior, softened a little and a few drops escaped his eyes before he brushed them away, too.

The fire finally burned out and died, smoke rising, but now definitely extinguished.

The second extinguishment in two days.

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I really have no idea if that was truly sad, or just...terribly written.

(Dew): You know which one I think it was!

That I do. Which is why I'm not asking you to review this!

(Dew): Which is why I'm not asking you to block the stool! *hits Omniflyer with it*

OW. Don't you remember what happened the last time you did that?

(Dew): Sure. You whined about your fingers and then produced a chapter as normal, albeit a week later...

(Why do I put up with this guy...?)

(Dew): Because I'm not leaving.

Oh, yeah.



Ok, to the rest of you, or at least those of you who are reviewing (which I hope will be the rest of you), I want to know if this was actually sad or if I should burn the floppy disk I saved it on. I can take it! Give me your best shot! *gets hit by a flying stool from Dew* NOT YOU!