Disclaimer: I do not own Golden Sun, but if I did, I would have made a third game by now. Nor do I own Soul Caliber II of Final Fantasy X.

Current Vote Pole Jenna/Garet 3 Jenna/Ivan 0 Jenna/Piers 0 Sheba/Garet 0 Sheba/Ivan 3 Sheba/Felix 0 Sheba/Piers 0 Hama/Felix 1 (This one might stay permanent.)

The polls are still open and will remain open until the end of Venus Lighthouse.

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A Warrior's Spirit

The ancient coliseum of Collosso rang with cries of enjoyment of both young and old as warriors competed in grueling trials. The adepts outside of the granite gates could hear all of this, filling even Garet with doubt.

"You there!" an ironclad soldier stopped the adepts with his spear.

"You all look like the warriors Lord Babi described. Please, come with me." The adepts followed into the dark torch-lit halls of the coliseum.

"What do you mean only Isaac can compete?" Garet yelled in the guards face.

However, even under this heavy verbal assault, the guard stood emotionlessly, "These are Lord Babi's orders and are final." Seeing that he could do nothing, Garet turned on heel and seethed out the oak doors.

"Do you think . . ." Ivan started, and he looked to his friends for support. Both Mia and Isaac's faces were downcast, so Ivan could not read them.

"Do you think that we could watch Isaac in the finals?"

The guard smiled under his helm and nodded, "I believe Babi has already reserved front row seats for you during the fight. All three of you will have a perfect view for Isaac's three battle rounds."

A loud gong rang through the corridors, signaling the beginning of Collosso.

The Collosso warriors stood in scattered groups in the dank room, passing the time with nervous conversation, except for three. Cloaks covered their features as the figures discussed their plans.

"If we each enter in a different seed, and win, Isaac will have to fight us. Siegfried, you take the first round while Heishiro takes the second," the center one's rough voice instructed.

One of the figures moved slightly, revealing a length of black hair, "Then you will take the third, right Auron." The three nodded in agreement before stepping in line.

Mia, Ivan, and Garet sat in the foremost of Collosso's stone stands. They could feel the heat from the sweaty bodies around them, while the squinted through the crowd of contestants. Though Ivan could feel the heat weighing down his head, he kept looking, until his vision faded and he fell to the hard floor.

"Ivan, are you okay?" Mia fanned Ivan harder, cooling his face somewhat.

Suddenly, Ivan's lilac eyes snapped open and he shot up straight, "Dark clouds are forming!"

Mia looked to the clear sky, dumbfounded, before turning to Ivan for an explanation. However, his attention was focused at the center of the stadium, where Babi was giving his opening speech.

"It is good to see such great warriors competing in this competition of strength, speed and skill. This year's Collosso promises to be the most thrilling ever," the aged voice paused and Babi listened to the silent stadium.

"Now, let Collosso begin!" Roars from both the competitors and spectators shattered the darkening sky.

"Will the first two competitors please step into the arena!" an armored soldier yelled over the crowd.

"Isaac and Siegfried to the center ring."

Isaac stepped up the stone steps of the left side of the arena. Across the limestone-tiled floor, he could see his opponent, shrouded in a dark cloak. A silver gauntlet came from the murky recess and flung the façade off.

The man before Isaac could not be described as human. Though the heavily armored left side of his body looked normal, the man's right arm was horribly disfigured. Isaac could see multiple crimson eyes blinking on the brown hide of the arm. The dark infection went all the way to the man's shoulders where his silver armor started.

Isaac could see dark scarlet hair that shot out of the back of the man's dull gray helmet. He bore a massive orange sword in his right claw that looked as if it was made of living flesh. Isaac could see that hundreds of eyes covered the sword, but only the dominating central eye blinked any.

However all of these horrifying traits pale in comparison to the man's eyes. Isaac could see the bloodlust of battle in the man's bright scarlet eyes. Siegfried's dark voice coiled dangerously in the air around Isaac.

"I am Siegfried Schtauffen, but I am best know as Nightmare!" he pulled his living sword from the ground, "and this is my blade, the Soul Edge!"

He paused for dramatic effect, before starting again, "You wish to know more of your past correct?"

Isaac nodded slightly. "Then beat the three of us to learn what you need to know."

While this transpired, Babi pulled himself from his throne and raised his antediluvian wrinkled hand into the air, "Let the first round of Collosso begin."

There were numerous murmurs of uncertainty from the crowd before the cheers rose up.

"I have a very bad feeling about this," Ivan pulled both Garet and Mia down to their seats.

"That man talked to Isaac way longer than necessary."

Ivan paused, but Garet finished his thought, "And that man's arm just isn't human!"

Mia took the leadership role immediately, and gave a quick order, "We cannot do anything unless we have to, so let's get by the arena. That way, if anything happens, we can rush the stage and help Isaac." The three adepts nodded in agreement before descending the granite steps.

Nightmare smiled as he heard Babi announce the star of the fight. He turned to Isaac and charged, "I will show you, the greatest nightmare!"

The Soul Edge was swung toward Isaac, and would have hit him, if Isaac was still standing there. A silent battle cry rose from behind Nightmare while Isaac brought the Artic Blade down on his back.

A dull ding marked Isaac sword bouncing off Nightmare's armor. The Soul Edge slashed horizontally, toward Isaac, but he ducked under the blade and brought his sword up from under Nightmare's defenses.

Isaac's blade managed to slice through part of Nightmare's armor, but that did not even slow him down. Isaac could not move out of the way of the counter slash, and was soon lying on the floor in agony. Nightmare smiled insidiously as he pointed the fleshy tip of his sword at Isaac's chest.

"This is the end! Now Die!" the tip slowly sunk into Isaac's armor, but stopped just as quickly.

Nightmare reeled in pain as sword of pure psynergic energy embedded itself in Nightmare's uncovered back. He pulled back in pain while Isaac casted cure on his wounds.

"You conceited wretched human!" Nightmare brought his sword above his head, ready to slice Isaac in half, but was stopped by the ground under him.

'Grand Gaia!' the stone beneath Nightmare shuttered apart and a plume of pure Venus psynergy rose up into his body.

"How?" Nightmare breathed out as he collapsed to the floor.

"Let the next fight of Collosso start," Babi spoke again, as the next fighter stepped into the ring.

The fighter wore light armor that shifted from black to red to gold. His grizzled face bore a full beard, and his gray pants, only went to his ankles. He wore his long black hair in a single ponytail that reached to his waist.

"The name's Mitsurugi, remember it!" he stopped and smiled insidiously.

"I would like to introduce my sword," he pulled his blade from the sheath at his side.

"This is Damascus." The shining blade gleamed, showing the etching of a fearsome dragon's head in it.

"You need to beat me, or you will never know your past." Mitsurugi raised his sword above his head.

"Now let's fight."

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Well here is another chapter. I apologize, for I do not remember the trials you have to go through in Collosso.

Reminder: The polls are still open and will remain open until the end of Venus Lighthouse.

Now for the reviewers' spotlight:

Anime-Master7- Thanks for the reviewer.

BTFreek- Thanks for the review.

Net Strife- Thanks for the fast review.

luner- Thanks for the review.

Lu Xun 88- Thanks for the review.

mercurykitten- Thanks for the review.

Inushin-kun- It's fun to be mean to Isaac. Thanks for the review.

Dragoon knight- I'm not changing the Isaac/Mia, I am just taking a vote for the others. Thanks for the review.