Author's Note:
Rio: Salutations! Not much to say about this chapter without giving away the plotline... which well I have a habit of doing...
Ryu: Yes, you do! So be quiet! You may NOT tell them what happens!
Rio: *pouts* Not even a hint?
Ryu: NO!
Rio: Oh well, I guess you will just have to find out on your own... oh and by the way, we have passed the half way point of this story-
Ryu: The half way point was a long time ago... seesh, I think all that turkey went to your head.
Rio: Hey! You ate as much as I did! And I even gave you my chocolate turkey too!
Ryu: *is subdued*
Rio: Anyway, I was supposed to ask all of your opinions concerning a squeal to this story. By now you all know the stuff about the Descendant and all that, and I was thinking of an idea I got which I have run by my muse and best friend before submitting it to you all. This is sort of a "just start thinking about it" note because you all don't know how the story ends (except for said muse and best friend) but I can tell you that it would focus on the aftermath of Lost Age but in the end it would be entirely AU as I want to go into greater depth with the gods themselves, maybe even let Jenna meet her true father and so forth. Yea... right now as I am re-reading this is sounds pretty lame but it's not... I just can't say anything else without giving away the plot of this story which I am trying ever so hard not to do! I just want to know what people think of an AU post-Lost Age sequel. Just tell me if you would read it and why. (as in you would at least give it a chance if you like this one, or if you would be willing to try any type of story... things like that.) It would help me so much, you probably couldn't know how much. (just adding one sentence at the end of your review about this... not even a sentence would help, just "nay" or "yay" would be great)
Ryu: Anywho, enjoy this chapter. Ack, we are nearing the end! Oh no... or is this a good thing? Hmmm. Letsee... one chapter for that, one for that... got to include the epilogue seeing as Rio already wrote it... yea I say about only four or five more chapters left... so in about a month this story will be done! Hmm... just in time for Christmas! (Oh, and Rio will be going back once she is done with this fic to fix minor errors that have been so helpfully pointed out to her, but none of the plot will be altered) And also on a completely different topic... if anyone was looking for a relevence between the tital and chapter... well for this chapter there is none. Rio just liked the way the tital sounded.. ^.^
Fantasies of the Open Mind:
Chapter Fifteen: Shining Like an Evil Sun
"Once the Dark Mage is ready to cast Revive, the Mage will form a channel to the gates of Hades and this world. At this time the familiar of the apprentice mage will descend into Hades to retrieve the spirit of the person to be revived. The accomplished Mage will need only call the spirit in question for the spirit to leave Hades. Once the spirit joins the Dark Mage in the land of the living the Mage will act as a catalyst in the process of making a body for the spirit. It is a natural process and will happen on its own but is the most draining of the spell. Many apprentices have gotten the spirit from Hades but were destroyed when they reached the next part. The point is to let go and let the magic flow naturally. If the apprentice does not consciously let go of their power they are at risk of heart failure or breathing failure, both leading to eventual death if not checked by an accomplished Mage-"
"Hey Jenna, we have to leave now!"
Jenna opened her eyes from going over the text that she had memorized the night before to see Sheba and Ivan waiting for her to follow them. "Did anyone figure out the way in?" she asked, not wanting to move if there was no choice.
"Yea! Garet did."
Jenna caught up with the two Jupiter Adepts wanting to hear how Garet found the way in.
"Even when Alex and Felix had called it quits he kept trying until he figured it out!"
"Figured what out exactly?" Jenna asked.
Ivan smiled at her while Sheba giggled. "We have no clue. We just know that somehow we can get into the inside of Magma Rock now when before we couldn't. And everyone except Garet was with us."
"So naturally he was the one to figure it out." Jenna smirked. "I guess he found some motivation."
Sheba rolled her eyes. "Yea, motivation. Like having a special psyenergy no other fire Adept knows is motivation."
For the first time since... the Venus Lighthouse, Jenna threw back her head and laughed, startling the two wind Adepts who had never really heard Jenna laugh before. But why shouldn't she laugh? After all, Saturos would be back in the flesh and blood soon, and if that was a reason to be happy... what was?
Jenna found that she liked Magma Rock. Yes, she and Garet were the only ones who seemed to be fond of the hellish pit of monsters, puzzles, platforms floating on magma, and buttons to change the level of the magma, that they were now in. Everyone else was, on the whole, bored out of their minds and lost. Picard was muttering about how he would love to be in Aqua Rock right now, accompanied with nods from Alex and Mia. Felix and Isaac were terrified of the magma, being earth adepts, and at one point Picard had to carry Felix on one of the moving platforms (to which the earth adept complained about until Picard mentioned that squirming around increased the probability of Picard dropping him). Ivan and Sheba were just annoyed at how long the cave was (Sheba had compared it to compare it to Air Rock as being longer, but was promptly shot down by Felix, Picard, and Jenna). Garet though was in his element and seemed to understand the mind of whoever had made the rock because it was through his logic that the group found themselves at the platform in seemingly the middle-of-nowhere, waiting for Garet to touch the stone on which was written the ancient form of fire Psyenergy. Jenna had turned him down when he offered to let her touch the stone first, arguing that it would be of no use to her as she was now a Dark Mage. But as Garet was enveloped in light, Jenna was thinking of the room they had just walked through, the room that had practically exploded with magma and fire. That was the heart of Magma Rock, not this misty, cloudy area. That was where she would Revive Saturos. But how to get conveniently "separated" from the group?
The opportunity came after they had found the Magma Ball (by a mistake on the group's part of course, going through the wrong door and such). They were attacked by a group of monsters. Jenna didn't really notice what the monsters they were because she left the minute that the group decided to fight. Easily blending into the shadows, Jenna watched the fight with slight interest and then waiting for them to leave, which they did when Felix realized that she was not in sight. Ah, the joys of an overprotective brother. Jenna waited for a few minutes before emerging from the shadows and moving towards the center of the room. Standing on one of the small platforms that littered the room she watched the magma lap slowly at the stone of the floor and walls. As if knowing her intentions she felt the magma begin to rise, starting to flow over the rocks left in the floor, inching its way towards her feet. Jenna's expression was set and her eyes sparkled with determination. As the magma pooled around her feat she felt the power of fire all around her. Silently she invoked Aries as she had seen Saturos do before. Aries may not have been her patron God, but he was Saturos's and it was Saturos who would have to undergo the Revival, she just supplied the power.
As if to answer she felt the magma rise until she was knee deep in the powerful liquid which didn't burn her, as if recognizing that she had started out a fire Adept. She unclasped the pendant that was the last link to Saturos that she had and watched it spin out of focus as a inky black thread blinked in front of her eyes. It twined around her and split, forming two threads which molded into three and four, then many more until Jenna was surrounded by a river of black that shot down and flooded into the magma. The magma slowly turned a sickly black and then shot to circle Jenna, revealing another layer of fiery magma below. Jenna's eyes glowed black and seemed to guide the river of black magma down into the symbol of Prox, down through the metal and into Hades itself. She flowed with the power, seeing what it saw, feeling what it felt. The power joined into the river Styx, churning the water and then lashing out at the gates of Hades itself. Jenna rode the power, followed its twisting form, twining about, basking in the aurora of the dead all around her.
Nuitari. Lunitari, and Solinari watched as their charge shuttered, her form engulfed by psyenergy. Lunitari moaned and hid her eyes. Solinari looked downcast, as if berating himself for letting this happen. Nuitari's eyes glittered, anger surfacing from emotions that had been inactive for centuries. The powerful ghost growled as he watched Jenna's form shutter loosing control of the power.
"Don't do anything brother." Solinari whispered. "It will only make the inevitable harsher for her."
"Does it LOOK LIKE I CARE?" Nuitari shrieked along with his guarded as the power rippled through her, starting to eat through her like all spells that had broken loose of the control of their castor. "It's OUR fault this is happening! We should be going to get-"
"But we know it won't work!" Lunitari moaned. "Oh Hades help us!"
Nuitari turned to glare at the red ghost. "Hades can't help us now!" His mind made up, he descended, melding through Jenna into the power.
"Nuitari!" both other ghosts called out as their brother disappeared from view. Both ghosts waited for their brother to return as the seconds passed by slowly.
"And here I thought he was the one without emotions." Lunitari muttered, trying to mask the fact that she was worried about Nuitari.
"Yes, I was sure you would be the one to loose control." Solinari muttered so low that Lunitari didn't hear him.
The magma spiraled around Jenna as the Dark Mage let out a final shriek and collapsed on the rock platform, a word spilling from her lips as she hit the stone, "Revive."
"Did she just-?"
"But that's impossible!" Solinari gasped. "The spell shouldn't have worked. First of all she shouldn't have passed out because the magic wouldn't have been used, and second, even if she did start the spell (which she shouldn't have been able to) it should have failed. The ban would have stopped her from Reviving-"
"Him?"
Both ghosts turned to see their brother next to them looking very smug indeed, watching the magma with interest. They followed his gaze to see the threads of fiery liquid had remained where they were before Jenna had fallen unconscious. The threads started to weave themselves together. Rock became bone and fire became skin, the strands of pure fire power laced with dark psyenergy. Magma became flesh and darkness brought fourth life, merging soul with body.
"I would say 'welcome back' but since you never really left it's pointless to say." Nuitari commented as blood orbs opened and blinked in the light of the chamber which was still glowing in an unearthly light from the magma.
Saturos's body too looked a bit otherworldly still as the ghostly glow had not left him yet and because of this he could still see and hear the ghosts quite clearly. "I appreciate the sentiment anyway, Nuitari. I doubt that I will get that reception from many others."
"Hey the one that matters will give you a good reception." Solinari said, his eyes sparkling with mirth as Saturos frowned at him.
"Very funny. And here I thought ghosts didn't have a seance of humor."
"Solinari is an exception." Lunitari explained as the Proxian carefully picked up Jenna's prone form and made his way to the edge of the room.
Solinari stuck his tongue out at Lunitari in a very grown up response as Nuitari let out a chuckle.
"Saturos... the exit is that way." Lunitari said helpfully pointing in the opposite direction that Saturos was walking.
"Oh I know that, but if Garet thinks that he will be the only one with the ancient fire psyenergy, he is gravely mistaken." the Proxian responded stepping through the doorway to the mist-filled room.
"Not reborn two minutes and thinking of power... I approve of Jenna's choice." Nuitari said as if passing a verdict.
"You do, do you?" Solinari asked sarcastically.
"I do. Very good decision."
"This wouldn't be true if he didn't think of power then? You would disapprove of Jenna's choice then?" Lunitari goaded her darker brother. "SInce emotions have nothing to do with it."
"I dislike what you are implying sister." Nuitari growled. "Just because I gave up love and companionship for power does not mean I do not appreciate what others feel in that area of life."
"Yes but you're dead now."
"So?"
"So... you said 'that area of life'"
"I fail to see what you are implying."
"You know exactly what I am saying!"
"No I do not."
"You are impossible!"
"Probably so."
Lunitari opened her mouth to retort but chose not to. It wouldn't be worth it in the long run anyway.
Alex blearily blinked his eyes as he tried to focus on the cup of coffee that was the only boundary between himself and sleep. Everyone else had gone to sleep After a long and hard search for Jenna in which Alex was sure they had searched through the entire Mercury cursed rock twice and probably walked right past her without releasing it. They eventually had left the rock, Sheba remembering Jenna's logic when the two of them had gotten separated from the others in the Cave of the Sea God, whatever that was. But Jenna had not been at the inn in the Kimbo's city... town... village... whatever type of establishment it was. But by the time they realized that, it was late, although not as late as it was now. At first the group had aimed to stay up all night, but they had slowly started to drift off. Ivan and Sheba were first, followed by Garet and a reluctant Isaac. Alex had to carry Mia to her room when she fell asleep on the chair she had been lounging in, and Picard had finally carted Felix off to sleep when the earth adept had drifted off for the second time, leaving Alex with a full pot of coffee and a clean coffee cup to wait for the missing Dark Mage. The coffee pot was not so full now... in fact it was almost empty. It was almost morning too, Alex mused, continuing to stare into the murky depths of the caffinated liquid.
Alex was so groggy by now he almost missed the slight sound of a door opening and only when footsteps sounded quietly on the wood floor did he realize that someone other than himself was in the room. But Jenna's footsteps were normally so quiet you couldn't hear them at all... so this couldn't be Jenna. Still he looked up and was met with the sight of someone carefully carrying the Dark Mage to her room, which to Alex's coffee clogged brain was not something strange. What was strange was that the person was glowing in an almost ghostly way... but that was forgotten as Alex finally registered who he had been watching. But Saturos was dead. Very dead. As in Dead. There wouldn't even be a skeleton. Nope Saturos was dead, gone, and ghostly... wait ghostly?
Alex desperately needed another cup of coffee. So the water adept godling drained the full cup he had been holding so devoutly and headed for bed before other such ridiculous notions entered his head.
It was mid-day when Mia went to check on Alex who had not yet appeared in the main room of the inn. As she entered the room she saw that he was indeed awake, but soon found out that he did not really want to be in such a condition.
"Don't walk so loud." Alex complained, trying to block out the sound of her footsteps and the sunlight that was not streaming through the one window of his room.
"How much coffee did you have last night?" Mia asked warily.
"I lost count after the sixth cup." came the muffled reply.
Mia's shocked look was quickly replaced by sympathy. A caffeine high like that would have to come crashing down at some point. As quietly as she could she headed for the door.
"Jenna's back, sleeping probably." Alex spoke using his pillow as a shield against the sunlight.
Mia walked over the the open window and closed the drapes, shrouding the room in darkness. "I'll check on her then."
Alex didn't answer because he had already fallen asleep.
Mia then padded down the hallway to Jenna's room and opened the door softly. The Dark Mage was sleeping soundly covered in a dark glow and Mia could feel the Psyenergy pulsating through her. Mia could tell that Jenna's Psyenergy had been used up but was now returning to the girl. But that did not explain the strange feeling Mia got as she looked over the sleeping girl. Jenna did not look like she had been hurt by any monsters but yet she showed the symptoms of one who had just been healed from a devastating wound or disease. Then Mia felt a more hostile aura in the room, feeling almost as if she was being watched. Mia began to scan the room nervously. Jenna was on the bed, her books and other belongings were stashed in the corner of the room. The window was over there and-
Mia turned around to meet the solemn gaze of another occupant of the room. Her blue eyes widened as they were met and held by red eyes, eyes the color of blood. Only one person she had ever met had that particular shade of red in their eyes.
"Jenna should be up and around soon." was all Saturos said, his eyes drifting to the figure on the bed.
"Yes. I can feel the Psyenergy returning to her." Mia looked at the Proxian male whom she could have sworn was dead. "May I ask what got her into this condition?"
"I am standing right here and you ask that question?" Saturos raised an eyebrow as if surprised.
"Yes." Mia said simply. "You must have seen what she did to put her this way."
"Actually I have no idea what actually happened. You see I was at the gates to Hades at the time. She was out like a light by the time I was... transferred to the living plain." Saturos chose not to mention that he had been watching the group the entire time as a ghost. If Jenna felt people should know that later than she could tell them herself.
"I see." the water adept brightened. "Then I am sure she will be fine." Mia turned to leave the room before turning back around to face the Proxian. "Does anyone else know you are... living amongst us again?"
"Only you and Alex... but I have a feeling Alex might not know that he knows. He was... not himself when I brought her in last night."
Mia grimaced. "Coffee will do that." A pause. "Oh and Saturos... I feel I must apologize... for the Venus Lighthouse I mean-"
"Don't. I knew you would destroy Menardi and myself. I accepted the fact. Actually-" the Proxian smiled looking at Jenna, "If I had not known it I might not have spoken to Jenna at all that night."
Mia just smiled and left. She had a feeling that her companions' reactions to Jenna truly becoming a Dark Mage would be very interesting to watch. Oh yes, very interesting.
Author's Note:
Rio: Oh, and thank you to all reviewers from last chapter! And... if you could include one more thing in your review-
Ryu: One more thing? What, do you want them to write you a paper on this?
Rio: No, I just wondered if anyone felt strongly on the life/death dilemma for Agatio and Karst. I don't care either way so I am open to be influenced.
Ryu: Wait a minute! You already wrote the epilogue and you haven't decided what to do about Karst and Agatio yet?
Rio: I can change the epilogue if need be... but I don't think I'll have to.
Ryu: *is confused* Huh?
signed,
Rio the FlowerofBlackFire