Return of Anemos
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Chapter 16 - Humans
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It was just prior to the crack of dawn that Isaac awoke to the sound of a knock on the door.
Opening his eyes, he saw the figure next to him in the bed. Gently brushing his hand across her cheek, he slipped on a shirt and some footwear, making his way towards the door.
Opening the door, he noted the small figure outside. "Uncle Isaac, do you know where mom is?"
Raising his eyebrows, Isaac though of Nygel's question. Why would he be asking him, of all people?
"Nygle, where is your dad?"
"He and Uncle Alex and that Zeus are still talking. I wanted some water, but I didn't see her, an' I got worried..."
Isaac raised his eyebrows. Sheba, to his best knowlege, never left the house at this hour. Odd.
"C'mon, Nygel, let's go look for her."
--------------------------------------------
The moment that Nani realized something was wrong was when he could no longer sense the village.
Whirling its head around, it looked towards the town, noting two figures walking across the square. Nani also noted the figure that hovered above them.
*Kolar...*
Nani released a screach, and made its way towards the square, hoping that Isaac heard the war-
WHAM
Disoreinted for a time, Nani reached forward, noting the barrier before him. And it quickly realized that it was no accident that Isaac wasn't running...
Realizing that it would never break the barrier, Nani began to dig, hoping that it wouldn't arrive too late...
--------------------------------------------
Isaac first noted that something was truely amiss when Nygel doubled over in pain. Isaac bent down to help his little "nephew," and winced as he watched him began to vomit.
Isaac rubbed his back, trying to help his young comrade, when he felt his stomach tighten, pain flowing throughout his being. He tried to quell the pain, but it only grew in ferocity.
As darkness overtook him, he noticed that Nani was nowhere to be seen...
--------------------------------------------
Zeus stiffined as he realized that he nearly dozed off. The debate over whether or not to go to Venus Lighthouse had dragged on longer than he had planned, and so far, it didn't look like it would end. Felix sided with him as to the importance of protecting Venus, while Alex still felt that aiding the Prox defenses would be better.
It had taken all evening, and now the scent of the morning dew permiated the air. That and another aroma that Zeus hadn't smelt since...
His spine stiffined again, but this time, it was out of fear. He recalled the last time he smelled it - at the council...
"We've got trouble."
Felix and Alex turned to stare at him. Apparently, they had decided that he was asleep and had continued discussing their plans. Before either one could ask him what he meant, though, Zeus had made for the door.
Passing the threashold, he stared at a wavering chunk of air. It took a second for Zeus to realize that whatever it had been, it was gone now. In its place was Nani, as well as signs that the beast had tried to dig under the field.
He stared into Nani's eyes, and it looked into his, both thinking the same thought:
*Kolar...*
--------------------------------------------
Isaac awoke in a cold, dank room. The chamber housed one cot, a small crack in a wall providing outside light, a hole in the ground, and a metalic door with a small window in it.
With him was Nygel, laying on the dank floor. Whether or not he was asleep or unconcious, Isaac couldn't tell. Reaching over, he felt a light pulse.
"Hello, Isaac. Nice to finally meet you."
Turning around, Isaac saw a small child looking at him. The child, no older than twelve, faced Isaac with a sneer on his face. *Wonder who he is...*
"I doubt you know who I am, but I am sure you know my name now that my tratorous son joined you. My name is Kolar."
Isaac frowned. He knew of A Kolar, but that one was a hundred something, wasn't he? This was just a kid!
"Right now, you are probably wondering why I have brought you here, yes?"
"The thought had occured to me"
The "child" smiled. "You obviously haven't chatted with your old friend Ivan lately. I know when you are lying, Isaac. Don't try that with me; you'll only irritate me."
Isaac felt his spine shiver. Whatever connection Kolar had with Ivan, Isaac felt that he didn't want to know... "You were saying something about why you brought me here..."
"Ah yes. I have heard of your powers, Isaac. Specifically, your Jupitarian abilities. Nice job you did on Robin, though I wish you had killed the little brat. Would've saved me some hasstle."
Sitting on his knees, Isaac stared at Kolar, who stood about two feet away. He decided to not know WHY Kolar referred to Robin that way...
"It didn't occur to me at the time, but after I sent you to Vale, I sensed a ripple in the air. Call it a Jupitarian insight or what have you, but I had felt it before - when I had visited Valeph years ago. Do you know what it was?"
"A power increase?"
Kolar chuckled. "If it were as simple as that, I would have killed you rather than abducting you. No, my friend, what you experianced was an increase in your psynergetic abilities."
Isaac stared at him, unsure what he was talking about.
"You are puzzled? It is to be expected. You know of how a person's psynergy is only as strong as his mind?"
Isaac nodded.
"And you know of how a person's alignment with an element is 'determined' by his mind?"
Again, Isaac nodded, unsure of what this had to do with anyting.
"Do you know that it is not the mind that determines the element, but the enviornment? The earth warps the mind into Venusian powers, lava enriches the Martians, winds bless the Jupitarians, water bestows the abilities of the Mercurians. For thousands of ages, this theory was the common explination. But if those elements determine the powers of Adepts, what determines the powers of the elements?"
Isaac brow furrowed. Kraden had various theories, but guessing wouldn't accomplish anything; Kolar knew, or he wouldn't ask.
"Your old sage did come the closest to the truth since another mage like him eons ago. My first insight into the theory was when I explored the pysnergy crystal mines in the northernmost parts of Imilia. I found a chamber of scrolls that explained a study on a Mars adept who suddenly had the abilities of a Mercurian. As it turns out, he was a decendent of the Creators."
*Creators?* Isaac had never heard of them.
"The Creators were the ones who created the Elemental Stars long ago, as well as the Lighthouses to spread their powers throughout Weyard. As the Adepts came to power, the Creators began to die out, having mixed their blood with Adepts. Over time, the Creators were forgotten, but every other era, a few with the powers of the Creators come about. Their minds were not bound to a single element; they could do whatever, thanks to their minds being more advanced than others. WE, Isaac, are creators."
Isaac didn't realize that his jaw was hanging open, nor did he care. Kraden had often commented on those that created the Elemental Stars, but he didn't know enough as to guess what they were like...
"Of course, we are not TRUE Creators. Our blood is heavily enriched by Adept blood, preventing us from having the true abilities of our ancestors. We can use any power that the Stars provide, but we cannot create matter and energy like the civilization of old."
"What do I have to do with this, anyway?"
"Simple. I want to offer you the chance to ally with me to bring humans back under Adept control."
Isaac raised an eyebrow. "Aren't humans and Adepts the same?"
Kolar's cool demenor was suddenly replaced with a furious face of anger and hate. "No, we are not the same as humans. Human minds are so weak as to be unaffected by the elements. Adepts, while not as advanced as the Creators, are far superior to the humans. Adepts once controlled the humans, but over time, the humans gained 'rights' and 'privilages.' Lesser creatures being gaged as equals to beings superior to them! The one thing that made me decide to launch my coup was back when I was discraced and assigned to Imilia's research plant. A HUMAN named Mary was my 'superior.' SUPERIOR! A HUMAN that was SUPERIOR to an ADEPT!"
"So you killed her."
Kolar chuckled darkly, sending another shiver up Isaac's spine. "No, a quick death is reserved for equals. She was not. When she went on vacation to a small town, I 'accidentally' labled that city to be raided for the research subjects. She was among the casualties. A pity, but at least I was no longer 'serving' a human."
"So what do you want with me? You know I wouldn't join you!"
Kolar nodded. "True, true. But I think you would do almost anything to keep Nygel there from being hurt, correct?"
Isaac stared at his "nephew." "You wouldn't."
"Wouldn't I? You know from Zeus what I am able to do, and that damned Nani probably told you a few things as well. So what makes you so certain that I wouln't?"
Speachless, Isaac turned away.
"I thought so. I do have an assignment for you to handle. I believe you can do it with relative ease..."
Isaac listened to the task, and almost burst when he heard it.
"You rather I kill your friend?"
Isaac stared at Kolar. "You son of a bitch."
Kolar only smiled...
--------------------------------------------
Alex walked towards Venus Lighthouse, his mind relfecting on recent events. Apparently, Nani had been sealed in some kind of barrier, though it vanished after a time. Isaac and Nygel were apparently captured by someone called Kolar, and now they were approaching the tower.
He knew that both Felix and Sheba were distressed at the loss of their son, and Hamma seemed extremely sad. Though he didn't think of it before, he was willing to guess that she and Isaac were an item.
As they neared the lighthouse entrance, he noted two figures standing outside. Odd. After the quakes, noone had ever ventured around here, believing it to be a hazard zone.
As they neared, he noted the faces of the two figures, and his jaw dropped. There was a man and a woman, both in their thirties. The man had flowing red hair, and chocolate eyes, while the woman had long black hair and dark eyes.
The man looked almost exactly like Jenna.
The woman looked almost exactly like Felix.
Zeus stepped forward ahead of the group, approaching the two. "Hello again Jasper, Gracie."
--------------------------------------------
Sheba - Yeah, you better update this after doing that chapter of Forever Friends!
WHAT? I had a writers block here, and I had that idea in my head for a while. Though I never fixed that one error on Sheba's age...
Karst - NO PLUGGING!
THIS IS MY STORY, DAMNIT, AND I WILL DO WHAT I WANT!!!
Karst/Sheba - ._.
*cough*
Sorry, gentle reade-
Sheba - *coughcough*
_ I HAVE FURY!
Sheba - @_@
Sorry, gentle readers, but I had some problems with this chapter, and I wanted to iron them out before I posted this. The fact that I did FF does mean that I will update that from time to time provided I get inspiration (not hard, since it is darker than most due to the loosing of one's love and raising a child...), but RoA will still be my flagship story for awhile. And for those of you who loved the Music System, I will try to get another chapter out with it. Depends on what happens...
And REVIEWERS!!!
Dragon Empress - THAT is a bit longer, yes? And make all the threats you want. Unless you start updating AiA, your threats don't work on me! XD
darkness127 - I keep meaning to ask where you got the 127 from... Anyway, thanks for understanding. Since I won't have a job for bout a month or so, I won't get many new games, so I might be a bit irritated and won't work as much on this. Course, without new games to play, I WILL have time for this, provided that school doesn't interfear...lol
Forgotten Souls - "Well that did suck as a chapter..." Gee, thanks. Not enought that *I* said that... Anyway, it was a bit odd with the whole Alex/Jasmine thing, but I hope to add more light on another underused character in this story. Hint - she hasn't appeared since the first chapter... And I hope this is to your liking...
And with that, I'm gone for now! Pity that there were only a few reviews...
Sheba - MIKAA OWNS NOT GOLDEN SUN OR NINTENDO!! REVIEW!!
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Chapter 16 - Humans
--------------------------------------------
It was just prior to the crack of dawn that Isaac awoke to the sound of a knock on the door.
Opening his eyes, he saw the figure next to him in the bed. Gently brushing his hand across her cheek, he slipped on a shirt and some footwear, making his way towards the door.
Opening the door, he noted the small figure outside. "Uncle Isaac, do you know where mom is?"
Raising his eyebrows, Isaac though of Nygel's question. Why would he be asking him, of all people?
"Nygle, where is your dad?"
"He and Uncle Alex and that Zeus are still talking. I wanted some water, but I didn't see her, an' I got worried..."
Isaac raised his eyebrows. Sheba, to his best knowlege, never left the house at this hour. Odd.
"C'mon, Nygel, let's go look for her."
--------------------------------------------
The moment that Nani realized something was wrong was when he could no longer sense the village.
Whirling its head around, it looked towards the town, noting two figures walking across the square. Nani also noted the figure that hovered above them.
*Kolar...*
Nani released a screach, and made its way towards the square, hoping that Isaac heard the war-
WHAM
Disoreinted for a time, Nani reached forward, noting the barrier before him. And it quickly realized that it was no accident that Isaac wasn't running...
Realizing that it would never break the barrier, Nani began to dig, hoping that it wouldn't arrive too late...
--------------------------------------------
Isaac first noted that something was truely amiss when Nygel doubled over in pain. Isaac bent down to help his little "nephew," and winced as he watched him began to vomit.
Isaac rubbed his back, trying to help his young comrade, when he felt his stomach tighten, pain flowing throughout his being. He tried to quell the pain, but it only grew in ferocity.
As darkness overtook him, he noticed that Nani was nowhere to be seen...
--------------------------------------------
Zeus stiffined as he realized that he nearly dozed off. The debate over whether or not to go to Venus Lighthouse had dragged on longer than he had planned, and so far, it didn't look like it would end. Felix sided with him as to the importance of protecting Venus, while Alex still felt that aiding the Prox defenses would be better.
It had taken all evening, and now the scent of the morning dew permiated the air. That and another aroma that Zeus hadn't smelt since...
His spine stiffined again, but this time, it was out of fear. He recalled the last time he smelled it - at the council...
"We've got trouble."
Felix and Alex turned to stare at him. Apparently, they had decided that he was asleep and had continued discussing their plans. Before either one could ask him what he meant, though, Zeus had made for the door.
Passing the threashold, he stared at a wavering chunk of air. It took a second for Zeus to realize that whatever it had been, it was gone now. In its place was Nani, as well as signs that the beast had tried to dig under the field.
He stared into Nani's eyes, and it looked into his, both thinking the same thought:
*Kolar...*
--------------------------------------------
Isaac awoke in a cold, dank room. The chamber housed one cot, a small crack in a wall providing outside light, a hole in the ground, and a metalic door with a small window in it.
With him was Nygel, laying on the dank floor. Whether or not he was asleep or unconcious, Isaac couldn't tell. Reaching over, he felt a light pulse.
"Hello, Isaac. Nice to finally meet you."
Turning around, Isaac saw a small child looking at him. The child, no older than twelve, faced Isaac with a sneer on his face. *Wonder who he is...*
"I doubt you know who I am, but I am sure you know my name now that my tratorous son joined you. My name is Kolar."
Isaac frowned. He knew of A Kolar, but that one was a hundred something, wasn't he? This was just a kid!
"Right now, you are probably wondering why I have brought you here, yes?"
"The thought had occured to me"
The "child" smiled. "You obviously haven't chatted with your old friend Ivan lately. I know when you are lying, Isaac. Don't try that with me; you'll only irritate me."
Isaac felt his spine shiver. Whatever connection Kolar had with Ivan, Isaac felt that he didn't want to know... "You were saying something about why you brought me here..."
"Ah yes. I have heard of your powers, Isaac. Specifically, your Jupitarian abilities. Nice job you did on Robin, though I wish you had killed the little brat. Would've saved me some hasstle."
Sitting on his knees, Isaac stared at Kolar, who stood about two feet away. He decided to not know WHY Kolar referred to Robin that way...
"It didn't occur to me at the time, but after I sent you to Vale, I sensed a ripple in the air. Call it a Jupitarian insight or what have you, but I had felt it before - when I had visited Valeph years ago. Do you know what it was?"
"A power increase?"
Kolar chuckled. "If it were as simple as that, I would have killed you rather than abducting you. No, my friend, what you experianced was an increase in your psynergetic abilities."
Isaac stared at him, unsure what he was talking about.
"You are puzzled? It is to be expected. You know of how a person's psynergy is only as strong as his mind?"
Isaac nodded.
"And you know of how a person's alignment with an element is 'determined' by his mind?"
Again, Isaac nodded, unsure of what this had to do with anyting.
"Do you know that it is not the mind that determines the element, but the enviornment? The earth warps the mind into Venusian powers, lava enriches the Martians, winds bless the Jupitarians, water bestows the abilities of the Mercurians. For thousands of ages, this theory was the common explination. But if those elements determine the powers of Adepts, what determines the powers of the elements?"
Isaac brow furrowed. Kraden had various theories, but guessing wouldn't accomplish anything; Kolar knew, or he wouldn't ask.
"Your old sage did come the closest to the truth since another mage like him eons ago. My first insight into the theory was when I explored the pysnergy crystal mines in the northernmost parts of Imilia. I found a chamber of scrolls that explained a study on a Mars adept who suddenly had the abilities of a Mercurian. As it turns out, he was a decendent of the Creators."
*Creators?* Isaac had never heard of them.
"The Creators were the ones who created the Elemental Stars long ago, as well as the Lighthouses to spread their powers throughout Weyard. As the Adepts came to power, the Creators began to die out, having mixed their blood with Adepts. Over time, the Creators were forgotten, but every other era, a few with the powers of the Creators come about. Their minds were not bound to a single element; they could do whatever, thanks to their minds being more advanced than others. WE, Isaac, are creators."
Isaac didn't realize that his jaw was hanging open, nor did he care. Kraden had often commented on those that created the Elemental Stars, but he didn't know enough as to guess what they were like...
"Of course, we are not TRUE Creators. Our blood is heavily enriched by Adept blood, preventing us from having the true abilities of our ancestors. We can use any power that the Stars provide, but we cannot create matter and energy like the civilization of old."
"What do I have to do with this, anyway?"
"Simple. I want to offer you the chance to ally with me to bring humans back under Adept control."
Isaac raised an eyebrow. "Aren't humans and Adepts the same?"
Kolar's cool demenor was suddenly replaced with a furious face of anger and hate. "No, we are not the same as humans. Human minds are so weak as to be unaffected by the elements. Adepts, while not as advanced as the Creators, are far superior to the humans. Adepts once controlled the humans, but over time, the humans gained 'rights' and 'privilages.' Lesser creatures being gaged as equals to beings superior to them! The one thing that made me decide to launch my coup was back when I was discraced and assigned to Imilia's research plant. A HUMAN named Mary was my 'superior.' SUPERIOR! A HUMAN that was SUPERIOR to an ADEPT!"
"So you killed her."
Kolar chuckled darkly, sending another shiver up Isaac's spine. "No, a quick death is reserved for equals. She was not. When she went on vacation to a small town, I 'accidentally' labled that city to be raided for the research subjects. She was among the casualties. A pity, but at least I was no longer 'serving' a human."
"So what do you want with me? You know I wouldn't join you!"
Kolar nodded. "True, true. But I think you would do almost anything to keep Nygel there from being hurt, correct?"
Isaac stared at his "nephew." "You wouldn't."
"Wouldn't I? You know from Zeus what I am able to do, and that damned Nani probably told you a few things as well. So what makes you so certain that I wouln't?"
Speachless, Isaac turned away.
"I thought so. I do have an assignment for you to handle. I believe you can do it with relative ease..."
Isaac listened to the task, and almost burst when he heard it.
"You rather I kill your friend?"
Isaac stared at Kolar. "You son of a bitch."
Kolar only smiled...
--------------------------------------------
Alex walked towards Venus Lighthouse, his mind relfecting on recent events. Apparently, Nani had been sealed in some kind of barrier, though it vanished after a time. Isaac and Nygel were apparently captured by someone called Kolar, and now they were approaching the tower.
He knew that both Felix and Sheba were distressed at the loss of their son, and Hamma seemed extremely sad. Though he didn't think of it before, he was willing to guess that she and Isaac were an item.
As they neared the lighthouse entrance, he noted two figures standing outside. Odd. After the quakes, noone had ever ventured around here, believing it to be a hazard zone.
As they neared, he noted the faces of the two figures, and his jaw dropped. There was a man and a woman, both in their thirties. The man had flowing red hair, and chocolate eyes, while the woman had long black hair and dark eyes.
The man looked almost exactly like Jenna.
The woman looked almost exactly like Felix.
Zeus stepped forward ahead of the group, approaching the two. "Hello again Jasper, Gracie."
--------------------------------------------
Sheba - Yeah, you better update this after doing that chapter of Forever Friends!
WHAT? I had a writers block here, and I had that idea in my head for a while. Though I never fixed that one error on Sheba's age...
Karst - NO PLUGGING!
THIS IS MY STORY, DAMNIT, AND I WILL DO WHAT I WANT!!!
Karst/Sheba - ._.
*cough*
Sorry, gentle reade-
Sheba - *coughcough*
_ I HAVE FURY!
Sheba - @_@
Sorry, gentle readers, but I had some problems with this chapter, and I wanted to iron them out before I posted this. The fact that I did FF does mean that I will update that from time to time provided I get inspiration (not hard, since it is darker than most due to the loosing of one's love and raising a child...), but RoA will still be my flagship story for awhile. And for those of you who loved the Music System, I will try to get another chapter out with it. Depends on what happens...
And REVIEWERS!!!
Dragon Empress - THAT is a bit longer, yes? And make all the threats you want. Unless you start updating AiA, your threats don't work on me! XD
darkness127 - I keep meaning to ask where you got the 127 from... Anyway, thanks for understanding. Since I won't have a job for bout a month or so, I won't get many new games, so I might be a bit irritated and won't work as much on this. Course, without new games to play, I WILL have time for this, provided that school doesn't interfear...lol
Forgotten Souls - "Well that did suck as a chapter..." Gee, thanks. Not enought that *I* said that... Anyway, it was a bit odd with the whole Alex/Jasmine thing, but I hope to add more light on another underused character in this story. Hint - she hasn't appeared since the first chapter... And I hope this is to your liking...
And with that, I'm gone for now! Pity that there were only a few reviews...
Sheba - MIKAA OWNS NOT GOLDEN SUN OR NINTENDO!! REVIEW!!