Disclaimer: I own nothing.

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Chapter Four (Explanations):

Felix helmed a small ship and was quickly approaching south. Up ahead, he could see the target. The Starsearcher. Alex would be aboard that ship along with Kraden. He concentrated hard, allowing his mind to wander on the possible outcomes. After all, strategizing was one of his specialties. It was he and Alex that solved the mysteries of Mercury and Venus Lighthouses. It was also he that led a band of Adepts across Weyard to light the remaining two, despite the lack of experience. His hazel eyes focused ahead as the Starsearcher veered to the east in the direction of Alhafra. Wonderful, he thought to himself, we're heading to the direction of that stuck up little windbag.

Isaac's voice drifted from the mast's top, "East, Felix!"

"I know!" Felix answered. He turned the Lunara east hoping that Alex didn't gain too much time on them. "Damn!" Felix cursed, "At this rate, we're not going to be able to make it to Gondowan Passage!"

"He's heading for the Sea of Time!" Isaac called down. "We're going to lose him!" Felix frowned as sweat dripped from his eyebrow. Of course Isaac was right. Felix knew it was right as well. He just didn't want to admit it.

Something caught his eye back where they had come from. It flew in the skies like a bird from afar, but Felix knew it was no bird. "Judgment!" He called. It was time for some help.

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Piers maneuvered the ship in the air, watching for any sign of hot pursuit below them. But what came as a surprise was not on the ocean surface, but to the east. A winged angel dressed in battle armor with a horned helmet, sword, and lion-head cannon descended from the heavens. It stopped as it was level with the ship, and fired downwards, into the Sea of Time. There was a brief pause as the streak of light disappeared in the fog. Suddenly, a rush of water was heard. The next sight was scary beyond belief. A fifty foot wall of water charged from the Sea of Time carrying an ancient ship and a smaller modern one. They were caught in the wave and pretty soon, they would be too, if they didn't do something.

But there was nothing they could do. "Brace yourself!" Piers called to the othes as he entered the door where they were congregated and held on to something. The impact was severe sendind the four on the ship crashing to the ground, dazed. Back before the lighthouses were dormant, when the four hadn't met yet, the impact would've sure knocked them unconscious, but they only lay there, helpess and unsure of how much time had gone on. It seemed like hours until they hit the shores of Champa.

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"Get him, Isaac!" Felix cheered as Isaac raised his sword. They were outside of Piers's ship. A ghostly aura surrounded his friend and darted up quickly becoming a yellow sword that quickly darted back down.

Isaac screamed an unearthly battle cry as his Gaia Blade took Alex down. "No!" Alex said desperately as he crashed to his knees. Isaac and Felix ran to the downed water adept and waited for the others. They didn't have to wait long. Piers was the first to emerge. He tumbled out of the ship in a heap, coughing and choking for breath. Next was Jenna. She leaped off the ship in fatigue and crashed painfully on the ground. Ivan struggled down, a complete mess, but nonetheless intact. He was dragging a sleeping gorilla of a Fire Adept. In one last push, he rolled Garet onto the ramp and watched him tumble with a thud.

Felix grabbed Alex bodily and joisted him up, while Isaac used his Halt Psyenergy to bind him. Ivan concentrated hard as he conjured a Twister to right the ship.

The trip to Lunpa was uneventful. Alex woke several times, but his body was far gone in its usual limit and he was too tired to stay awake. Kraden had awoke with absolutely no idea where he was. Apparently, he had not woken up since he was in Vale, which came as quite a shock to the old man. There they were, the old crew, back in the flying ship, just as they had been a year ago. Dodonpa welcomed the three ships as they sailed to his private dock via river.

"This calls for a celebration!" Dodonpa smiled at them, "You may stay at Lunpa for the night without expense!"

"I appreciate the offer--" Felix tried to refuse, but Garet cut him off.

"Oh don't be so sore. We should stay! I say we've earned it. Besides, aren't you hungry?" Garet's stomach growled fiercly and he prodded it with his finger. "I'm absolutely starving here." Felix could only raise an eyebrow.

"Well, I suppose we could stay for the night." He conceded. In truth, he did not trust Dodonpa. How could he bestow trust on someone who was not only suspected of killing his father, but became known throughout Angara as Dodonpa the Evil Thief, kin of Lunpa the Righteous Thief?

The celebrations bored Felix. Several of the local women had tried to tempt him. They danced in front of him, egging him to join them, but Felix thought too much about Sheba. In finality, he proceeded to Lunpa's jail, which had some irony to it. How could Lunpa, a town of thieves hold a jail? Who did they imprison, innocent men?

Felix walked in examining the room illuminated by multiple torches. The guard wasn't here. He'd sneaked off to the celebration and left Alex unguarded. No doubt he thought Alex wouldn't escape, but Felix knew Alex. Where there's a will, there's a way, and Alex definitely had the will. "Hello, Alex." He greeted.

Alex sat on the stony floor of the damp prison. He leaned against a crate behind him. "Well if it isn't my good friend Felix. How nice of you to pay a friend a visit."

"You aren't my friend, Alex." Felix growled. "You tried to trick us and use us to try to achieve what you alone could not. No, Alex. You're not my friend. I wouldn't trust you at all now... or ever for that matter."

"Your words pain me, Felix." Alex pouted. "Was I not the one who aided you and your party atop Jupiter Lighthouse? Surely you could not have won the battle with Agatio and Karst if you had been at half strength from the beginning."

"That was only to ensure that we light it. You knew Agation and Karst were to dumb to carry on from there. They couldn't make it to Mars Lighthouse, what with them living in Prox and all. They're bound to protect it."

"Yes." Alex smiled. "Just as I was bound to the protection of Mercury. But I managed to solve that problem quickly."

"You hurt Mia in the process." Felix reasoned. "I may not be good friends with her, but I see her expression everytime you're mentioned. She feels disgusted and hurt that she can't trust you. But she also feels love for the old Alex."

"All this at a single glance?" Alex laughed. "And in any case, as I have said, I cannot remain the same Alex she knew forever." His guard dropped for a moment. "There was a time where I could've been the same forever. I was a foolish boy seeking the love of a girl. And still... she denied me. She couldn't possibly love me that much if she did that."

"No. You're wrong, Alex. She cares for you as she would a broher. Isn't that enough?" Felix countered.

"Would it be fine if Sheba cared for you as a brother and not a lover?"

"What are you talking about?" Felix stood up. "Sheba and I are only--"

"Pity. Did you really think your affection was concealed efficiently during our time together? Felix, you were read like an open book. You were the wild card, the reason why Saturos and Menardi didn't let you fight. You were unpredictable. The ends justufy the means, but that's not you."

"I don't want to be like you." Felix snarled. "Not a monster."

"I'm not a monster." Alex's face dimmed. "I... I just made a mistake... that's all."

"Why did you want the Golden Sun so bad?" Felix sighed as he sat down again. He had successfully averted the subject from Sheba. Alex's face was cloaked in darkness and it was difficult to tell what his expression was.

"Power." Alex answered. "When Saturos and Menardi first visited Imil, it was I who first suspected their plans. I followed them into Mercury Lighthouse as I thought I was the only one who could. I did not want Mia in danger. I noticed that they were easily more powerful than I, but quite differently when it came to intellect. Even they realized this. They told me of Prox, of their mission which they should like to fullfill one day, bust most importantly is what interested me the most, the Golden Sun. To them, the Golden Sun would bring their town back, but they weren't very smart. I realized that the Golden Sun could bring enormous power to those who harness it. I realized that The Wise One's skill could be surpassed. And I ached for it."

Felix looked at him in horror. "Shocked, Felix?" He asked amused, "Don't be. You of all people know that I am more ambitious than most. Together, Saturos, Menardi, their men, and I ventured into Sol Sanctum four years ago. I seperated from them, taking an alternate path to pursue the history of Mount Aleph hoping to uncover something about the Golden Sun. I did end up unearthing something. It said that the power of the Golden Sun would be bestowed upon the one that stood atop the mountain when the four beacons meet. Unfortunately, Saturos, Menardi, and their men triggered a trap that sent a boulder rolling down the mountain. It also caved the room I was in, trapping me. They thought me dead, but I managed to get out through various gaps that the rocks had not been able to fill. I met them at Prox, realizing that they had taken you and three other people from Vale hostage."

Felix nodded. Alex's story tied in with what he remembered. "But you were at the top of Mount Aleph when the four beacons lit. Didn't you receive the power? Or did The Wise One end up being more of a challenge for you?"

"The Wise One is very powerful. He tricked me by transferring some of Mars's power to revive people atop the lighthouse and some more into Isaac."

"Isaac?" Felix was now alarmed. "Are you telling me, Alex, that Isaac is uber-powerful?"

"He has not come to realize it yet, but he is. Didn't you notice that he has not tired out from his journeys with you? Whereas you have such bags under your eyes."

"He did have a mission before coming with me. He journeyed to Bilibin to pursue some misfits."

"Ah, yes... that would be my fault. Several people attempted to rob me on my way to Mount Aleph. I told them that if they let me pass, I would grant them great power." Alex laughed. "Some didn't believe me, and they still have yet to fall from the sky. The ones that did... well, Isaac dispatched them quickly enough."

"You really are a monster, Alex." Felix breathed. "Just one question. What do you hope to gain now?"

Alex closed his eyes for a moment and opened them again with a look of total determination. "While I lay, half dead below Mount Aleph, I noticed that I could wander the rubble in my sleep. I examined the ruins and found an ancient wall that was well enough for my curiosity."

"What do you mean?" Felix asked curiously.

"I mean that it told me many things. Things that portrayed a second Golden Sun."

"A what?!" Felix was now unduly alarmed. "Why are you telling me this?"

"I'm locked up. What am I going to do? Light Luna's lighthouses in my sleep? I may be able to leave my body, but I'm not that powerful."

"Luna's lighthouses?" Felix was disturbed. "You mean there are more?"

"Of course." Alex confirmed. "Four more to be exact. Saturn, Uranus, Neptune, and Pluto lighthouses."

"Does that mean there are more elements?" Felix asked.

Alex laughed. "No, Felix. But you would need the aid of new Adepts from around the lighthouses to fullfill your task. They have different psyenergy, but of the same element. Saturn is aligned with Fire, Uranus with Earth, Neptune with Water, and Pluto with Wind. I discovered that my water psyenergy was not different from Neptune's as they have the special ability of Warp. You and Isaac are, of course, aligned with Venus, hailing from Vale."

"Piers?" Felix asked.

"A true Mercury Adept." Alex nodded. "Once the four of Luna's lighthouses are lit, the beacons will meet at the place where the Elemental Stars came from."

"That can't be, then." Felix waved aside. "Mount Aleph is gone."

Alex laughed. "Oh no, Felix. When I said Elemental Stars, I did not mean Sol's Elemental Stars, I meant Luna's. They are located in the ancient city in the sky. I believe you've heard of it. It's called Anemos. You see... when Alchemy was sealed, the power was too great to be locked in just four lighthouses. It ripped the fabric of reality in two,, seperating it with Gaia Falls. The result were two worlds, so similar and yet so different with their own set of elemental lighthouses."

"So Alchemy hasn't been unleashed?" Felix asked.

"In this world it has, but the Gaia Falls will continue to engulf their world. Eventually, it will continue with this world and with the Luna Lighthouses gone, it cannot be stopped." Alex watched the effect of his words shock Felix.

"I must alert the others of this." He stood up and rushed out of the jail. Alex waited several seconds before sighing and opening his mouth.

"You can come out now, Dodonpa." The crate behind him moved aside revealing a doorway. Dodonpa stood smirking, apparently having listened to quite a lot.

"How long did you know I was there?" He asked curiously as he walked out of the doorway into the dark dingy cave.

"Quite a while..." Alex frowned. "I noticed someone else listening in against the vibrations of the crate when I mentioned Luna's Lighthouses."

"Yes." Dodonpa smiled, "It was all gibberish to me at first, but some things stood out, like the eradication of all life as we know it for example."

"Don't be so dramatic, Dodonpa." Alex smiled, "It would take much longer for that to occur, possibly a thousand years, what with the other world out of its hibernation."

"Is the power of Alchemy that great?" Dodonpa asked.

"You have no idea." Alex nodded. "Now if you please, I do not intend to stay in this cell for the majority of my life. I wish to get along with this quest."

"Are you positive it was wise to inform Felix of this? They could be quite troublesome." Dodonpa advised.

"Yes, I cannot light the last four by myself, however intelligent I am. They will be able to achieve it, and I will not be so careless this time. I will achieve the power of the Blue Moon. With my three quarters of the Golden Sun and the power of Luna's Blue Moon, I will be unstoppable."

"Don't underestimate them." Dodonpa laughed, "As I recall, they defeated you last time."

"And it is exactly that kind of arrogance that will lead to their downfall. Besides, I notice Sheba isn't among their numbers. She must've started having dreams of Anemos."

"How do you know that?" Dodonpa asked. He examined the blue-haired Adept in front of him.

"Just a hunch. I traveled with her for a while, did I not?" Alex boasted. "Did you finish what I requested?"

"Yes," Dodonpa said, "I retrieved the Black Crystal and Lemuria Ship. I don't understand why, though. The Lunara looks like it could outstrip it easily."

"Don't be ridiculous. Lemurian ships may not look like much, but I can guarantee you it will be much faster than you think. Not that it matters, after I leave, you might never hear of me again."

"I doubt that, Alex." Dodonpa shook his head. "Nonetheless, I wish you good luck." He offered his hand and Alex shook it. "Come on, Alex, let's go." He summoned up his newfound power and a ghostly white hand moved the crate back to its original position.