Golden Sun: Book One

Author: Okay, peeps! This is my first attempt EVER at writing an entire novelisation fic. What better game to start with than one in which there's more talking than fighting? ^_^

Flint: Well, at least there's still a fair amount of fights and stuff…

Forge: Humor! This story MUST have humor!

Gust: Don't forget romances! I want sappy scenes!

Fizz: … You never learn, do you?

Author: _ Those djinni are really getting on my nerves. Okay, without further ado, I'll have our resident headless muse to say the disclaimer!

Dullahan: Very well. (clears a non-existent throat) The title, the characters, and all other things related to Golden Sun belong not to Pureauthor, but to Camelot. And Valerdo belongs to Midnight C. On with the story.

Author: I must warn everyone that this story contains extreme spoilers from TLA, so if you haven't played it yet, smack yourself one for not playing it, go play it, then come back and read.

Chapter 1: Storm

*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*

Saturos was angry. Of course, when he had a total mood count of two (angry and pissed), it wasn't that unsettling. However, Mernadi was angry as well. And when Mernadi was angry, various things happened to those people in the general vicinity. Various things that generally involved disembowelment, separation of the limbs from the torso, and getting cooked alive over a slow flame. Or under or in the flame. Mernadi wasn't picky about details.

Thus, the rest of the Proxians quickly went about their various tasks, keeping their heads low, and praying that they wouldn't be next to get selected to answer the question of why the **** they hadn't been able to open up the entrance to Sol Sanctum yet. The stupid puzzles had confounded them, and it was only through the clever uses of their psynergy that they had managed to get this far. The arches in the current chamber opened to a splendid and majestic view of the quiet town known as Vale far below them. However, the majority of the Proxians couldn't have cared less. They were busy trying to push the statues into various crevices on the ground, in the hopes that it would unlock the latest puzzle.

Valerdo sniffed in contempt has he stepped on the burnt remains of a vermin. He, along with a sizable force of Proxians, had been assigned to stand guard at the entrance of the sanctum, and to dissuade the locals from attempting to enter. In his opinion, this was a complete and utter waste of time. The foolish people in the town never even ventured within a mile-radius of this place, mainly because they were terrified of some strange retribution from the "guardian" or something like that. Valerdo snorted under his breath. Superstitious nonsense. If there WAS any guardian, he was certain Saturos and Mernadi could handle it. After all, they were among the best warriors in the fire clan. With a sigh, he turned back to his duties. The sooner the Lighthouses were lit, the sooner all the terror and pain would end. For his people…

Deep in Sol Sanctum, Jaros finally shifted the statue into place. Beside him, the others glanced about in excitement and anticipation. Saturos looked up from his brooding point. Hm? Had the discovered something? Standing, he walked with an almost casual air towards the others.

"What did you rats f-" Suddenly, the floor shook violently, causing Saturos to lose his footing temporarily. Extremely temporarily. Boosting himself, he did a complete backflip and landed on his two feet, safe. Mernadi, by contrast, hadn't bothered to stand, and was thus still unmoved, staring around in apprehension. Almost subconsciously, Saturos slid his blade out. If anything dared challenge them, they'd-

The floor shook again, and this time, it was accompanied by howling winds, and a torrential rainstorm. Saturos groaned in dismay. It was a silly, almost trivial thing, but he had always hated the rain. Likely it had something to do with the fact that his element opposed his. But this storm was different, he mused. It appeared so suddenly, and with so much fury. Almost… almost as if the storm had been conjured.

Whirling, he regarded his fellow Proxians. "We retreat! Now! That's an order!" Without waiting for a reply, he stormed down the stairs, to the bottom level, where the Luna room lay. But almost as soon as he had left the chamber with the trap, he heard screams from his companions… then silence. Cursing, he turned to leave. The sanctum would have to wait for another day. Then, high above him, as he ran with as much speed as he could muster, he heard a distant rumbling.

Valerdo sighed with impatience. How long was it going to take just to open up the dumb sanctum? He had never dealt well with his natural thirst for speed, and now, it still gnawed at him. What on Weyard could be holding those fools up? Pacing up and down, he stared down at the ground, willing himself to focus. It did not matter how long it took. The lighthouses would be lit sooner or later. Then, staring hard at the ground, he detected a strange shadow… whirling, he stared straight into the largest boulder he had ever seen.

Valerdo's men didn't even get a chance to cry out before the boulder crushed them, ending their time on the mortal coil prematurely. An instant later, Valerdo himself met the same fate.

*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*

He was free of worries, drifting endlessly along the void. He felt carefree, as if rid of a heavy burden, and now at last allowed to rest. He was at peace, he was happy, he was content, he was…… wet?

Grimacing as drops of water landed on his face, he was prevented from returning to his slumber by his mother, Dora. Isaac sat up with a groan, and glanced blearily at his mom.

"Isaac! The Mt. Aleph boulder is going to fall!"

That got his attention. Rising to his feet, Isaac shook his head once to clear it, and headed for the stairs.

"Isaac! Wait! You forgot your cloak!"

A quick catch spell, and some good old-fashioned motherly fussing later, that particular problem was resolved.

"It's pouring outside!"

Isaac shook his head and smiled at his mother's constant fussing about him. Sooner or later she'd end up saying-

"You'll catch your death of cold!"

Apparently, it had come sooner, Isaac thought, trying to hide his chuckles. At the top of the staircase, his eyes widened as he realized that he had forgotten his boots, as he turned to retrieve them, he could hear his mother's voice: " Remember, Isaac. A lost possession can be replaced. A lost life can't." Wavering between the boots and the stairs, Isaac finally threw up his hands and stomped after his mother.

At the ground floor, he could hear his mother conversing softly with his dad. The boulder wouldn't hold for long, according to him. Isaac wrinkled his nose. Something was fishy about this. According to legend, the boulder had stood on the peak since the beginning of time. Why would it choose now to fall? Shaking his head, he followed his mom outside, pausing only to glance at the candle as another gust of wind blew it out.

*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*

Saturos hissed to himself as he lifted the mangled face, turning it so he could see. Yes. This was Valerdo, his second-in-command. Roaring in frustration, he smashed both fists onto the ground. "DAMN IT! I'm the only one…" He glanced around at the corpses around him, strewn this way and that. "Who made it out alive…" With a snort of disgust, he was about to storm away to the town when another voice halted him. "That's not true."

Without bothering to turn around, Saturos sighed. "Care to explain how you got out, Mernadi? Far as I know, you don't have half as much power as I do.

Mernadi simply chuckled slightly. "Why, Saturos. You insult me. I'm certain that managing to escape from the sanctum is proof enough?"

Saturos snorted. "Either way, we can't stay here. We'll return another day."

With a nod, both of them turned and strode away from the fools busy holding the boulder back from the village below.

*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*

Isaac snorted to himself as he strode purposefully towards the plaza. His parents had left to go evacuate the villagers and had informed him that going to the plaza was currently the best option. He should have been there by now, and he would, if not for the stupid rocks had been tumbling all over the area, most conveniently blocking of his path. Dammit. Pondering for a moment, he remembered a side route to the plaza, except that it required him to loop around the entire village. Sighing, he turned and tramped northwards

Garet wheezed to himself as he pulled and tugged at his collection of belongings. Just his luck to have dragged it right into a mud patch. Even his bulk, oft the target of jibes from his family and friends, did little to aid him in his attempts to pull the soaked package free. And the stupid rain was beginning to get on his nerves. Being a Mars adept, he had never liked water in any form, unless it involved a good, long soak in the bath. The current storm somehow fell short of that. Glancing up, he noted the figure of Isaac heading up. Yes! "Isaac!" He hollered. "Come here! I need your help withthis pile of luggage!"

Isaac stood with a bemused expression on his face, then walked over to the still struggling Garet. "Garet, I want you to think about this. Even if all this stuff here is smooshed by the boulder, you can come back and get it later. However, what if the stuff is saved, but no one's left to reclaim it?"

Garet looked at Isaac like he was crazy. "What? You want me to just leave my stuff where it can be smashed in itty bitty pieces by the boul…. der…" Craning his neck, he could barely see the outline of huge rock looming overhead. Had it always been this big?

"Okay." He said, dropping the rope. "Let's go."

*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*

Felix groaned tiredly as he grasped his pack of rather meager belongings. His parents were already some distance ahead of him, and his hyperactive sister was doing little to help his temper. She was constantly mumbling that she didn't want to die, and that she still had so much to live for. Goodie for her, then. Felix hadn't exactly planned on perishing either. In the distance, he could still see several villagers. All doing the same thing he was. Trying to escape. Trying to preserve their life, for just one more second. That was all that mattered at the time.

He never saw the stone that fell through the air. The only thing he heard was a tiny crack sound, and blackness. He awakened to find himself floating on the river. He heard his parent's horrified cries, and his sister's squeals. Lashing out, he grasped on to a branch sticking out of the water, and hung on for dear life. Gasping, he could see his and Isaac's parents crowding around a wooden platform, trying to reach him. But they were too far away. Silently, he cursed, and drew himself higher up, trying to hang on until help arrived.

IF help arrived.

*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*

Isaac grimaced as he wiped vermin blood of his short sword. The little critters had been attacking practically nonstop. Beside him, Garet was binding his wounds.

"That guy was a weirdo."

"Nah, he wasn't so bad."

"Oh? I'm dying, I'm dying! Save your- wait, I'm not even injured!" Garet let out a derisive snort. "He was weird. Plain and simple."

Isaac sighed and conceded the point. "We should be near the plaza now." He ventured, and Garet nodded his agreement. They were about to continue when-

"Felix!"

Garet halted in midstep. "Jenna? What's she doing around here?" He muttered. Turning, he spotted several people crowding a young, brown-haired boy. "Isaac! Look! T-that's Felix!"

Isaac turned, and regarding the people around, nodded. "Yes, and that's my mother and father. We should go down these steps. We can meet them at the bottom." Without another word, he turned and rushed down a nearby flight of stairs. Shaking his head, Garet started off after his friend.

Isaac collided with something soft as soon as he reached the bottom step, and glancing up, noted that his mother was staring down at him. "Isaac? Shouldn't you be at the plaza?"

Isaac shook his head and turned towards Felix's genera; direction. Noting the direction of his gaze, Dora decided to risk it. Isaac could probably help them. "If you want to help, head for the plaza and bring back someone who can use psynergy, okay? We need it to save Felix."

"Everyone above us will be drained from keeping that boulder away." Isaac muttered to himself as his feet beat a steady rhythm towards the plaza. "It's up to us and Jenna, Garet." Garet, right beside him, nodded.

In the plaza, Isaac and Garet immediately spread out to question the nearby villagers. The results were discouraging. Most were either drained or far too weak to use psynergy. They were just about to write off Felix as a lost cause when they spotted Jenna with another man, who was busy tapping into the Psynergy stone's powers.

Garet immediately jogged up. "Hey, Jenna! Did you find someone who could use psynergy?"

Jenna nodded, but before she could continue, the man at the Psynregy stone. Stepped up.

"I'm charged!" He exclaimed, and then turned to the three children. "Lead me to the one in need."

Each grabbing a hand, Isaac and Garet forcibly moved him back towards the river, where Felix was hopefully still alive. Jenna tagged along silently, praying to Mars that they were not too late.

*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*

Felix was sputtering and coughing as he held on for dear life to the branch. His fifteen-year old arms were in no condition to support his weight for such a long period of time, and he had already gone under a few times. For every time that occurred, he had managed to grab ahold of the branch again, and had crawled up above the raging water. Opening his mouth to draw in another breath of air, he coughed as a mouthful of water found it's way in instead.

"He could dimly hear the others by the shore talking, about how someone with psynergy had been found. Did that mean he could be saved? His heart rose at that thought. Glancing up with excitement, his grin froze in horror as he saw the gigantic monolith, the boulder of Mt. Aleph, fall.

Then all was lost in a raging sea of darkness.

*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*

Isaac stared in horror at the place where his father, and Jenna's parent's had once been. They were lost, along with Felix. The accursed boulder…

Mechanically, his limbs begin moving. He wasn't sure what he was doing. He only knew that he had to find help, get someone to save his father. They weren't dead. They couldn't be dead. He had to get help…

As he passed the bridge, he heard muttered whisperings. He frowned. Everyone was supposed to have been evacuated to the plaza by now! As he placed his ear to the wall, he heard a male utter "Only the two of us survived…"

Then another voice, a female one, replied. "Who could have anticipated Sol Sanctum would unleash such fury?"

Isaac jerked back in shock. These people… they had been the ones who triggered Sol sanctum's defenses! The boulder was rumored to have been the defense for the sanctum, and whosoever tried to challenge it would face terrible retribution. These people… Pressing his ear to the wall again, he listened with his heart in his mouth.

"Regardless, the next time we challenge the sanctum, we cannot afford to fail."

"ISAAC!"

Isaac winced as Garet strode up, panting heavily. Perfect timing, he thought to himself, as a second later, the two mysterious people responsible for the death of his parents jumped down in front of him.

"Were you… spying on us?" The male hissed in anger.

Isaac's eyes blazed, and he strode up until he was almost right in front of the male. "Damn right I did! And because of your stupid meddling, four people just died back there!"

"Uh, Isaac?" Garet whispered. "Maybe we shouldn't make them mad. They look scary…" Isaac couldn't have cared less. He was string, wide-eyed with fury, at the man.

The male shook his head slowly, and chuckled. "Tell us, then, little boy, why I should give a damn if this entire village goes up in flames, let alone four fools, hm?"

Isaac clenched his fists, shaking with anger. "My father… is NOT… a fool!" He bellowed, before sweeping his sword out and aiming a blow at Saturos head. "Isaac!" Garet yelled. The idiot! What the hell did he think he was doing? An instant later, he had his own sword out, and charged forward, only to have his blow blocked by the woman. She hissed at him, smiling evilly. "I think that you should leave them to their discussion, boy."

Isaac flew back, before crumpling up against the wall. The strange man had merely ducked under his clumsy swing, and had slammed the hilt of his sword into Isaac's chest. As he lay gasping for breath, he heard an explosion, and watched out of the corner of his eye as Garet staggered back, before dropping to the ground in an unconscious heap.

The man walked almost nonchalantly towards Isaac, before pressing the blade to Isaac's throat. "If I were you boy, I'd to forget everything I've heard. Or else." As he slid into unconsciousness, the last thing he remembered was the red eyes of the assailant gleaming in the darkness.

*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*

Saturos sheathed his sword as he strode further away from the town. He still wondered about that boy who had so daringly challenged him. He was a fool, to be sure. But a brave one. He was so preoccupied in his thoughts he almost didn't notice the shivering body near the riverside.

Beckoning to Mernadi, he crouched low to examine the boy. He was young, about fifteen years of age, and his long, dark hair feel in messy clumps. Even as Saturos examined the youngster, Mernadi gave a start of surprise as she observed three more unconscious forms on the ground.

Saturos stood, staring at the bodies quizzically, until he recalled the boy's words.

Because of your stupid meddling, four people just died back there!

Saturos let out a low laugh. So these were the ones that strange boy was referring to. Waving his hand, the four unconscious forms rose into the air from his Carry spell.

"Back to the ship, Mernadi." He stated. "We'll return to Prox for now. But we'll come to challenge Sol Sanctum again one day."

And saying so, he stalked off into the night, Mernadi following closely behind.