Author's Note:
Ryu: ^.^ Rio..
Rio: *not listening*
Ryu: Rio... ... ... RIO!
Rio: WHAT??!!
Ryu: ^.^ It's Saturday!
Rio: *raises eyebrow* So?
Ryu: SO? Who was it? WHO?
Rio: I have no idea what you are talking about?
Ryu: The blue haired person thing!
Rio: Person thing?
Ryu: Yes! Everyone thought it was Alex, except for UmbrielBluethorn WHOM YOU TOLD THE ANSWER TO WHEN SHE ASKED! Couldn't tell me NO! But you could tell your best friend!
Rio: *not really listening* Person thing?
Ryu: Yes the mystery male at the end of the chapter. WHO WAS IT?
Rio: OH, *lightbulb* Well most everyone got it wrong. Its not Alex! You can ask UmbrielBluethorn if you don't believe me! I told her last Saturday who it was! Well really I just confirmed her suspicions. See, it couldn't have been Saturos-
Ryu: cause that's too easy!
Rio: Yes, and because he comes up later in the plotline. It can't be Alex-
Ryu: because in the game he never goes to Madra.
Rio: Yes, but I did have to change that just to keep the plot going. More like he's never SEEN in Madra. So that leaves....
Ryu: All warnings and disclaimers for the other chapters apply to this one. This is the beginning of the Karst Bashing, and yes a bit of Kraden bashing as well. If that makes you uncomfortable for some strange reason, don't read. (Well there isn't any actual "bashing" but this chapter does introduce the character Karst so we're putting the warning here.
Rio: Also I apologize for the Picard/Felix or, more accurately, the lack thereof. I will tell you now that Felix doesn't figure out that he is in love with Picard until Lemuria. (this will be explained in the story later) After that I will spend lots of time on their relationship, never fear. Another thing that has been neglected is obviously the Alex/Mia bit. This will pick up after the Jupiter Lighthouse when Mia (along with Isaac and co. ) join the group. I will make up for the lack of romance then! (Believe me UmbrielBluethorn would not be my friend anymore if I didn't)
Ryu: Anyway, enjoy! If you want Rio to update more than just once a week you must tell her so!
Chapter Four: Enemy, my Enemy
Felix awoke instantly, when he heard footsteps outside of the bedroom. "Must be Sheba." he thought sleepily, "Jenna doesn't make a sound when she walks, unless she wants to."
He was just about to slip back into a dreamless sleep when there was a light knock at the door. Picard groaned and pulled the covers over her head, muttering something along the lines of, "Five more minutes." Felix rolled his eyes and got up. He padded over to the door and opened it to see that it was indeed Sheba.
Now unlike Picard, Sheba was an expert of translating Felix's slight movements into sentences. And yes, it was the the mind read ability that helped her learn this, but it was very useful. For instance, when Felix raised his right eyebrow, as he was now, he wanted to know what was going on.
Felix himself was an expert at reading emotions, at least the ones projected by others. Sheba was projecting emotion like crazy right now, and
Felix could see something was wrong.
"I can't find Jenna." Sheba said softly.
Felix blinked, eyes wide.
"I just woke up and she wasn't in bed. She isn't in the rest of the inn either." Sheba's emotions calmed down after she told Felix this, after all if there would be anyone who would find Jenna, it would be her overprotective brother.
Felix frowned and walked back into the bedroom where Sheba could see Picard was still sleeping. Felix walked over to the Lemurian, unceremoniously grabbed Picard's arm and pulled him out of bed. The Lemurian fell to the floor with a thud.
"Felix!" The Lemurian's eyes shot open.
"Good morning Picard." Sheba's voice came from the doorway.
Felix moved over to his bed allowing Picard to see the Jupiter Adept in the doorway.
"Good morning Sheba." Picard said tiredly. "Sorry if I woke up on the wrong side of the bed." the last part seamed to be directed at Felix who just shrugged. Sheba smiled at him before yawning. "Well, now that you know, I think I should get back to bed for the few remaining hours before Kraden wakes up." Waving sleepily at the two boys she left and they heard the door shut behind her.
Picard groaned, realizing that he was still slumped on the wooden floor, a rather uncomfortable position. "So we wake up early and she gets to sleep. There is something wrong with that." He managed to sit down on Felix's bed before his legs collapsed.
"Jenna isn't sleeping." Felix murmured.
Picard looked surprised, partly because Jenna was missing, and partly because this was the first full sentence that Felix had said in his presence.
"Do you know where she went?" Picard asked, curious.
Felix just shook his head and mentally Picard sighed. There went Felix's talkative streak. Picard looked at Felix only to be met with the most mournful expression he had ever seen. Picard sighed. "Do you want me to go find her?"
The mournful expression evaporated to be replaced with the neutral
expression Felix usually wore. Felix nodded twice.
Resigned to his fate, Picard pulled on his shirt and boots and walked out of the bedroom.
"Now if I were a depressed Mars Adept where would I go?" Picard murmured to himself. After thinking for a minute he shrugged. "No clue. Oh well, at least there is something to be said for aimless wandering."
The cool air of the morning hit him with full force as he walked out of the inn. "Stupid Mars Adepts and their stupid ability to not feel temperature." he muttered. If there was one thing Picard hated it was being cold. Why was he doing this again? Felix. Yes, Felix, Felix, Felix, Felix, Felix. Was there anything else he cared about right now? Oh yea, Felix.
And the first full sentence that Felix said was about Jenna. Ironic. Picard decided right then that he hated irony.
But back to the task at hand. Where would Jenna go? "I mean this is Madra." Picard murmured. "What can you do in Madra?" There were no clubs, no libraries, no... well there was nothing special except for the catacombs." Picard stopped in his musings as Jenna's words from before entered into his mind. The graveyard. Picard groaned. Felix's sister was really starting to freak him out. In fact the whole family seemed to have problems. Jenna was depressed, maybe bordering on sadistic. And Felix didn't speak. Well, Felix spoke when he wanted something done, Picard amended.
There was something wrong with the graveyard, Picard noticed. he expected that the souls of the dead would be wandering about because these people didn't know to bury their dead correctly. But Picard never expected to see them. In fact no living person should be able to see the dead...unless they were called into the presence of a Dark Mage. But that wouldn't be possible. All of the Dark Mages had been destroyed.
And yet Picard's seances argued with his logic. There were spirits walking around, even talking. And they seamed to be centered around one figure that he couldn't see very well. Black clothes. Wait a minute...black clothes? Picard groaned. It made perfect, logical, seance but... this made life so much harder. Leaning against a tree he listened.
Technically Felix just wanted to know where Jenna was. And if she wasn't dead from her powers already, she must have control over them. But, Picard knew what would happen if she found out the Dark Mage's history. And from where this conversation was headed... yes, here came the part about the Dark Mage who tried to rule over Hades. He would have to step in or things would get really complicated. Sighing inwardly he stepped into the circle.
"Yes, he tried to use the power of Hades to bring back the dead and in doing so overtaxed his powers and they destroyed him from the inside out, in the most gruesome death Adepts had ever seen."
He watched as Jenna whirled around to face him, surprised and curious. When she saw who his was she frowned.
"Did Felix send you here?" she asked, softly.
"Yes, he asked me to figure out where you had gone off to at this ungodly hour." Jenna huffed and stalked past him muttering something about over protective brothers, but Picard continued as if there had been no interruption. "But he did not ask me to tell him what you were doing."
Jenna was caught off guard for the second time that morning. Picard's eyes had an amused look to them, as if he was laughing on the inside.
"I'm sure that's what he meant, but since he didn't say anything..." Picard shrugged.
"Why are you really here, Picard? You could have just gone back when you knew where I was. I did mention it, if I remember correctly."
"Oh, that line about looking at constellations?" Picard grinned, "You can't see the stars this early in the morning."
Jenna scowled. "You didn't answer my question."
"No I didn't. " Picard agreed.
Jenna waited impatiently for an explanation that didn't come. "Well?"
"Do you believe everything the ghosts said?" Picard asked quietly.
"Stop avoiding the question Picard."
"Because what they said was not correct."
"Picard!" Jenna was very annoyed now but Picard's words finally made it through her mind. "How do you know that it wasn't correct? No one talks about it. Even Kraden doesn't know, or he would have told me, Isaac, and Garet, when he was teaching us."
"No Jenna. He knows. He is one of the generation that chose to forget that the Dark Mages ever existed. And it seemed like it worked, except now you are proof of their error."
"Kraden wouldn't lie-"
"Yes he would, and he has."
Jenna was borderline angry now. She knew that Picard was telling the truth, but she just didn't want to believe it. When she was little Kraden was the only adult figure there. He had taught her about psyenergy and the world. And now she was being told that he lied. The childish part of her mind didn't want to accept this and won over her logic.
Jenna looked at the blue haired man who stared right back at her with a level expression. "And why should I trust you?" She started to walk past him when his voice stopped her.
"Because I can tell you what Kraden and Felix won't." was Picard's soft reply.
"Felix?" Jenna saw red. "Felix knew as well?"
Picard saw the ghosts moving back to their graves hurriedly. He agreed with them. Jenna was not very happy... and that was the biggest understatement
of the week.
"Felix learned about the Dark Mages from those two other Mars Adepts you were with. Kraden made him promise to be quiet about it."
"And how you know that I won't ask." Jenna was still seething, just
noticing through her anger that Picard and herself were now alone in the graveyard.
"I..." Picard coughed nervously, "overheard them talking. Felix was worried about you it seams."
"And yet he won't talk to me, no never that!"
"He wasn't sure."
"Wasn't sure about what?"
"He thought you were a Dark Mage, but he didn't know. So he went to Kraden, the only other person he knew had knowledge about Dark Mages. Kraden didn't believe it though."
"What didn't Kraden believe?" Jenna asked, finally calming down.
"That one of the Dark books still existed. They were the only way to become a Dark Mage without another existing Dark Mage. Kraden, and most of the Adepts from that time, believe them to be destroyed."
"I still don't understand why they would try to destroy anything relating to the Dark Mage." Jenna looked pointedly at Picard.
"The power of the Dark Mage scared them. The ghosts told you of the last known Dark Mage's death. But what no one will say is that this was no magical mishap. It was a murder. You see, in the days before the light houses were put out, there were many Dark Mages. Well, there were only a handful of powerful Dark Mages, but even the lowliest apprentice could easily resurrect certain dead. If a friend died before they would naturally die, like say, if they were killed, the Dark Mages could bring them back. They were called the children of Hades, and apparently Hades looked after them. But when the decision came to lock away the power of alchemy, it was decided that the Dark Mages were too dangerous."
"But why?"
"I'm getting to that. The Dark Mages were unlike other adepts because their power didn't come from the lighthouses or the elements. Their power came, supposedly, directly from Hades. So taking away the power of the light houses wouldn't effect them like it would effect the rest of the adepts. They would be more powerful than the adepts who drew their power from the elements. The people of that time planned a murder of the most powerful Dark Mage. No one except a select few knew that this was a murder. Instead everyone thought he had tampered with powers beyond his control. For when he died this was the excuse given to the population and used as an excuse to destroy everything Dark. Something about a menace to society, I think. Does that answer your questions?"
"Yes."
Picard was surprised and a bit scared to see that Jenna was actually smiling. It was one of those "this can't be good" scenarios. Picard started to get the idea that it would be better to get Jenna back to where Felix could take responsibility of her actions. "We should be getting back before Felix sends out a search party."
Jenna nodded and followed the Lemurian back towards the town, still smirking.
By the time they got back to the inn the rest of the town had started the day. The two adepts walked into the kitchen to see a wide-awake Kraden, a quiet Sheba, and a sleeping Felix (who was seated slumped over the table).
"Good morning to you both!" Kraden chirped. Behind him Sheba rolled her eyes. Everyone had unanimously decided that Kraden was too awake in the morning.
"Morning Kraden," was Picard's tired reply, while Jenna muttered something about people who were too happy in the morning. They sat down in the two remaining chairs and Sheba handed Picard a cup of coffee. Picard cradled the drink as if it was a holy relic, causing Sheba to giggle and Jenna to raise an eyebrow. Yet this was the normal morning ritual that they had all adapted over the time spent together, with the addition of Picard of course.
Continuing with the ritual Jenna turned to her brother who was slumped over the table and poked him sharply, twice.
"Yo. Time to rejoin the world, brother."
In response Felix buried his head in his right arm. "Five more minutes."
"This is what you get for staying up all night." Sheba joked. Only Jenna noticed Picard's eyes narrow at this comment.
"Stay up all night Felix? That's not good for your health." Kraden chirped.
"No really, I hadn't noticed." Felix mumbled, not feeling in the mood to argue.
Yes the morning ritual was good, but this morning the ritual was cut short by Sheba suddenly remembering that the mayor's son wanted to talk to them that morning. Picard complained loudly as he was separated from his coffee, but in the end even he gave in to the Jupiter Adept.
"Please be careful." The mayor's son said good-bye, handing Felix the pie-shaped Cyclone chip. Felix nodded to the mayor's son and handed it to Sheba, who held it much like Picard had held his coffee earlier that morning. The mayor's son walked back into his house when a voice from underneath the group startled them all.
"Felix?"
Felix, and everyone else, looked down to see a woman dressed in reddish-pink armor, with short red hair. She was standing in the road with a holier-than-thou attitude, and Picard saw Felix stiffen. No one else showed a clue as to what was going on and Picard wondered for the millionth what Felix knew that he wasn't telling everyone.
"You...he just called you Felix, didn't he?" The red haired woman locked eyes with Felix who stared sullenly back at her. Suddenly she gasped
"Why didn't I see it before? You are Felix!" she smiled, "Then Menardi should be somewhere around here too...and yet..."
Picard heard Jenna mutter something at the mention of Menardi's name, but was distracted by Sheba.
"You won't see Menardi or Saturos ever again. Isaac killed them. They're probably at the bottom of the sea by now-"
"Sheba be quiet!" Picard watched Jenna control her anger as she glared at the Jupiter Adept.
The woman, though, looked at Jenna with a calculating glance. "I did hear that you wretched little thing!" The two fiery woman glared at each other, before the stranger shifted her gaze to Felix. "Is my sister dead?"
Felix nodded, not meeting her eyes. The woman looked shocked.
"I can't believe it... no on has the power to defeat Saturos and my sister..." The woman looked at the group, none of which, except Jenna who was glaring and smirking at her, would meet her gaze.
"Yet you all avoid my gaze... and the looks on your faces... It is true then." Suddenly the woman got a murderous look in her eye. "Who is this Isaac?"
Sheba opened her mouth to say something, but Jenna's foot connecting on top of hers silenced the Jupiter Adept.
"What? Why? Why would you protect him from my fury?" these questions were sent at Felix who looked as if his body had stopped responding all together. The woman glared at him and yet nothing in demeanor changed.
"Never mind. I believe I've heard some rumors of a traveler named Isaac lately anyway."
Kraden and Sheba exchanged worried glances. Jenna was watching amusedly. Felix was numb to the world. And Picard had no clue what was going on.
"Is this Isaac the same one they've been speaking of? Is he perusing you? If that's the case, then this Isaac should show up here sooner or later." the woman looked down the road as if she expected the Venus adept to show up right then and there.
"How do you know it wasn't Felix who defeated your sister?" Kraden asked. Felix shot him a look that was a bit worried and a bit angry, but Picard couldn't for the life of him understand why.
"What do you take me for?" the woman asked, still gazing down the road. "I am a warrior, like my sister. I can gauge a man's strength at a single glance. Even if you doubled Felix's power, he would still be no match for my sister. And besides I doubt Felix could find it in himself to betray my sister. He knows that the lives of those he holds dear would hang in the balance."
Jenna and Sheba glared at the woman, but Picard (who of course had been watching Felix) saw betrayal flicker across Felix's face which was covered by sadness, and then anger. No fury was more like it. A low growl rumbled from the back of Felix's throat, much like a cerberos would growl at an enemy.
The woman ignored it, turning to face Felix. "But I must congratulate you on your successes at both the Mercury and Venus lighthouses. Although, your success there now prevents us from returning to the Western Sea." she looked pointedly at Felix, as if the rest of the group weren't there. "You would have failed, of course, had we not researched how to climb those lighthouses..." she trailed off watched Sheba, Jenna, and Kraden start in surprise. Felix simply glared and growled. "Oh, didn't Menardi tell you?" Sickly sweat, and mock surprised.
The ground trembled a bit as Felix's eyes narrowed and the woman started talking again, a bit faster this time. "Regardless, Isaac won't be getting in my way. You will have to find your own way to the Western Sea. And if you make the journey, you'll have to light Jupiter on your own as well! We have our own work to do and number one on the list is taking care of Isaac! Are we clear on this Felix?"
"I will not be your pawn." Felix muttered, so low that Picard could barely make it out. The earth adept shook his head, a defiant no.
"What is the matter with you?" the woman glared at Felix. "Afraid you can't perform your duty?" she smirked. "We could help you a bit..."
Kraden broke in. "No thank you. I believe we'll just find Jupiter Lighthouse on our own, if its all the same."
The woman nodded, seemingly satisfied. "I see. Just don't let us down." Another jibe headed at Felix. "We're going to find that Isaac... I'm going to find that Isaac. And I swear that the last thing he sees will be Karst avenging the death of her sister!" the woman, Karst headed away down the road.
"Who would want to avenge Menardi?" Jenna asked as if in genuine
confusion, causing Sheba to giggle.
"Yea...and I though Saturos and Menardi had issues." Jenna frowned lightly before smiling at the younger adept.
"We shouldn't take Karst to lightly." Kraden warned the two girls who ignored him completely.
"Wait a moment." Picard looked puzzled. "Karst did say 'we' didn't she?"
Kraden turned to Picard. "Yes. Saturos and Menardi traveled as a pair." he explained, "Perhaps she has a partner as well."
Jenna was lost in her thoughts for a few minutes. Saturos had said that Menardi and himself were sent by the elders of Prox. This Karst and her partner must have been sent after Saturos and Menardi to speed up the job.
"Even if we did find Isaac and the others, I think there is a good chance we'd end up fighting them." Kraden's voice brought Jenna back into the conversation.
"Why" Picard asked.
"What we are trying to achieve, they are trying to prevent. And they will fight to stop us." Kraden explained.
Sheba turned to Jenna. "But Jenna... Aren't you and Isaac an item? Couldn't you, you know, do something?
Jenna blanched. Where had Sheba gotten that from? "What are you talking about Sheba? How could you even suggest such a thing?" Sure, Isaac had been her best and truest friend...but that was exactly why she wouldn't like him in that way.
Kraden cut in uncertainly. "Ah...well...er...yes... For now we should press onward to Jupiter lighthouse, like we planned."
"But what about Garet and the others?" Jenna asked. They were her
friends, she couldn't just leave them to run into Karst unprepared.
"Don't you mean Isaac?" Sheba asked slyly.
"What?" Jenna was getting annoyed now. "Would you stop suggesting ridiculous notions Sheba? Sheesh!
Kraden cleared his throat. "Are you ready to listen yet?" Both girls looked at him with pointed expressions. "They were strong enough to defeat Saturos and Menardi. They won't be beaten easily. We should continue ahead just as Saturos and Menardi would have, Ok Jenna?"
Jenna raised and eyebrow. "Whatever."
"Sheba? Picard? Are you ready?"
Everyone looked at him as if he were crazy.
"Then we should be going right, Felix?"
Felix looked amused and Sheba used Mind Read to see what he was thinking. "Kraden...shouldn't we stop at the inn and get our stuff first?"
"Oh...right. Yes off we go."
Everyone else sighed mentally as Kraden walked away. Yes, they all agreed that he was too much of a morning person.
Jenna was the last one to check out of the inn. As she turned to go the innkeeper's wife came up to her.
"Dear..are you Jenna?"
"Yes, ma'am."
The woman smiled. "A man with long blue hair came by earlier and left something for you."
Jenna was surprised. Picard had been with them all morning so it must have been Alex. Why was Alex in Madra?
Jenna smiled at the woman and thanked her taking a small wrapped object from the woman. Retreating into a nook in the wall, she momentarily forgot that everyone was waiting for her outside and open the package. In side was a sealed letter and a metal object.
It was a small circular object. Flat, and tinged with blue. It was like a pendant of sorts, and in the center was carved a peculiar flame design. Jenna's eyes widened in shock and she almost dropped it. She knew this pendant. She had seen it dozens of times. The flame design was no mere design... it was the symbol of Prox. This was the pendant that had been locked on Saturos's armor.
But why would Alex go through the trouble to give it to her? And more importantly, why would Alex have it in the first place?
Jenna heard Sheba calling her name and stuffed both the letter and the pendant in her belt. She would not have any time to read the letter secretly until much later, but she could tell that sleep would not be gracing her tonight.
Author's Note:
Ryu: Next Chapter sneak peek!
Jenna frowned. Why would Saturos make sure to give Alex the pendant? There was noting really special about it. But as the pendant began to warm in her hands, a black glow surrounded the girl and she gasped. Maybe the pendant was special after all...
Rio: That's next Saturday's chapter unless I get opinions which tell me otherwise. Thank you so much to everyone who reviewed Chapter Three, I will at some point (on a day off from school) go back and change the grammar errors in that chapter. Thank you again, review if you feel like it.
Rio the flowerofblackfire