Title: Spiritual Elements
Author: mangazgal
Rating: PG-13 (for occasional swearing and subjects such as suicide)
Genre: Fantasy/Romance
Summary: AU Four stars, four kingdoms-very simple. So why does everyone want to change that? Future Isaac/Mia, Garet/Jenna, Felix/Sheba
Disclaimer: Golden Sun, its respective characters, and everything related to it belong to Nintendo, to Camelot, and to whomever else legally and rightfully own it. However, I own certain parts of this fanfic. The plot of the sequel, original characters, and anything not created/revealed in the GS game belongs to me. Names, characters, places, and incidents either are products of my imagination or are randomly created on the spot. Any resemblance to actual events or locales or persons, living or dead, is entirely coincidental.
A/N: This is my second fanfiction, thank you for taking the time to read it! I'm still working on my other fic, The Return of the Sun, so that's not dead yet ^^;. All reviews and criticisms are greatly appreciated!
Prologue
At odd hours when day appeared to be night, only guards, cats, owls, and other nocturnal animals should still be awake, making the group of eight travelers that was hurrying down the empty street a strange sight to see. However, because animals cannot speak, no one would ever know that such a group had passed through as long as the travelers avoided the half-asleep guards.
The members of the group were already an oddity on their own, regardless of their prowling around the streets. Both men and women alike shared similar greenish blue hairs and eyes, moving with a liquid grace. The most prominent of the group was a young woman dressed completely in dark, simple clothing with her hair pulled up and her face masked. The way she held her head high and carried herself marked her as the leader of the group. Her light green eyes were calm, although occasionally hints of sapphire gleamed almost in anticipation for something. The rest of the group lacked the easygoing manner she had as they continued to glance from side to side, slinking along a high well-built stonewall away from the streets.
Signs of lush trees and fragrant flowers peeked over the edge of the more cold and solemn stonewall, but no one had time to sightsee nor be comforted by the presence of the greenery, except to be grateful for the shadows it provided. The girl leading the group had reached a sharp turn in the wall. The rest of the group huddled closely behind her, watching her peer around the corner. When she returned to face them, they could see the smugness in her eyes.
"Primitive security. A few sleepy guards guarding the gate, and," she muttered softly as she glanced upwards, "no night watch prowling the perimeter of the wall. It would be easy to overtake them." She leaned forward eagerly, fingers reaching for her sword.
"Don't forget yourself, Mia," said an elder woman who was eyeing the girl disdainfully. "If you attack, they will call out an alarm. It would complicate things. We're not here to start a bloody war."
"Don't forget yourself, Eyena," Mia replied smoothly. "I am the one in charge, not you."
Eyena's nostrils flared, but she stepped back with the rest of the group. With a silent nod towards the wall, Mia and her followers deftly leaped over the top. Upon landing within the palace's ground, Mia promptly started scanning the area for guards. Before her stood a simple but elegant stone palace. Although it was made of the same materials as the cold walls, the castle seemed to give off a warm and comforting feeling. Even the fountains and plants seemed to further enrich the castle's warmth and elegance. The plants and paths almost seemed to give off a small glow, as if each one had its own inner lights. The ground seemed to light up as someone scurried forward.
"Everything's secured," the scout informed the group. "We have pinpointed the object's location. At night it is taken for safekeeping, placed in a shrine right outside the castle."
Mia hurried after the scout, running ahead of the group towards a small building that would have been overlooked compared to the vastness in size of the castle and the castle grounds. The building, like everything else within the wall of stones, was simple. It was a low small building that was easily mistaken for some sort of storage room. Only the intricate carvings on the edge of the roof and around the door suggested its significance.
"That's it up ahead," the scout murmured. "The shrine of-"
The boy trailed off as he noticed the girl slow down to a stop. She was not moving, but her eyes were looking all around her, searching, seeking. Her body was rigid, as she stood alert and taut. She seemed to have just heard a louder footfall among them. It could not be one of the members in her group because they were all thoroughly well trained to be light footed; she would have their heads if they took one heavy step. She was not that easy to fool, she snorted as she spun around. The rest of the group halted in confusion behind her as they watched the girl. She tossed her head as she pushed her way through the group to reveal that someone had been stealthily following them.
"Well, it seems that I have finally been found out," said the young man cheerily, although his eyes seemed to challenge the girl.
"I guess so, then," the girl said smoothly. She was looking up and down at the young man as she analyzed him, trying to rattle him as she sized him up. However, he met her gaze calmly and unafraid. He was as different from her as an elephant was to a mouse. They appeared to be about the same age, but while she was slender and pale, he was broad and tanned. He appeared to be the type of person who, as a boy, would accidentally break a china doll, something that she was brought up to be, she thought distastefully. He let out a huge yawn, something very rude to do in public Mia had always been taught, as he ran his hand through dark brown hair that was sticking up oddly, cut unevenly and jaggedly. His hair ruffled, his foot bared, and his attire consisted of only a nightgown, it was obvious that he had just woken up.
He did not appear to her to be threatening, despite his muscles, his size, or even his height, which towered over hers by a head or so. She normally would have ignored and scoffed such brutes. They typically acted tough and talked big, but in reality they were all afraid. This one, however, was different. She could tell by looking into his eyes. They were large and deep chocolate brown with a certain spark to them. There seemed to be a fire of courage, dignity, and confidence that flashed in them, a fiery red glint that dared her cool blue one. He carried himself boldly, as if he was some sort of a prince.
"Of course, you walked so loudly you could wake the guards," the girl scoffed.
The boy grinned. "Of course. That is why you did not take notice when I started following you when you jumped the castle walls."
"What?" the girl said in disbelief, her eyes flaring with anger. If he had followed them for so long, he must have purposely walked clumsily to let her know that he was trailing them. How dare he play with her like that!
"But enough about me. Perhaps you can inform me why you decided to take a stroll around the palace grounds now, at two o' clock in the morning. You got yourself a tour group, but no tour guide," he said teasingly. "Unfortunately, you're either too early or too late. Tours of the palace begin at ten in the morning and end at eight in the evening, each tour lasting fifteen minutes."
"How dare you mock me!" the girl cried indignantly. No one had ever treated her in such a condescending manner before, especially some stranger.
"Aa, but how can I dare to mock a lady? I should bow humbly before you as a sincere apology," he replied, bowing before her, although everyone could tell his bow was also out of mockery.
"Why you- Agh!" the girl huffed. "I'll show you to mock me. Why, you do not even know who I am."
"You do not need to say much for me to guess," said the boy idly as he drew his sword, swinging it every now and then. "You have an icy coldness to you that screams 'Mercury'. It is very chilling, especially in a town like this."
The girl glared at him, but the boy continued on.
"Your eyes especially do not help to conceal the truth. One can tell a Mercurian eyes from the others. Bluish or greenish eyes, particularly ones that resemble the ocean that can change from passionate warmth to icy coldness much like water itself. It is one of the Mercurians most interesting attributes."
"Well, since we found you, I guess that we have no choice but to destroy you," the girl said icily, tilting her chin up.
"I guess that would be true, but I believe the truth is that I found you. Does that give me the right to destroy you?" he asked playfully.
"That's enough!" she practically screamed in fury, lunging at him with her sword.
In the moonlight, the two blades glistened, one that was broad and heavy, the other that was slender and light. Stroke met stroke as the swords sang through the night. No matter what the girl threw at him, the boy effortlessly met the sword again in a defensive block. The girl continuously attacked, despite the failure of her attacks. Several of the others in her group had also joined in, but the boy managed single-handedly to evade their joined efforts. However, when they all drew back, the boy's forehead was glistening with sweat and his breath came in shorter bursts.
"Good show," the boy said cheerfully in between breaths. "Do you want to try that again?"
"It is obvious that you are a skilled swordsman," Mia complimented, although her voice did not seem to sound as kindly as the words themselves did.
"Oh, actually, I am only mediocre compared to my good friend. Swords are more to his liking, while the ax is more of mine. An ax or a mace, rather, both work well for me, but unfortunately I left them behind. So I guess this would have to do," he said with a smile.
Mia stared at him hard, her eyes beginning to glow intensely as a fierce blue aura flared around her, forcing the boy to shield his eyes from the sharp light. Columns of water unexpectedly shot up and enveloped the girl. Sprays of mist splashed on him and the others around him. She had risen up a few feet in the air and staring down on the boy. The eyes of the others also began to glow and their auras shone brightly in the night sky although they only hovered a few inches off of the air. They had surrounded the boy in a semi-circle as waves of water wove between them.
"You will pay," she hissed.
On some unspoken cue, every one of them released their powers. Some sent powerful watery blasts towards the boy while others sent icy shards. The boy, however, remained silent and watched calmly. Just when it appeared that the attack would strike, a flaming fiery wall surrounded him, covering him like a bubble. The ice melted in the heat and the water only encouraged the fire to grow. The blazing wall then grew in size, like a giant wave crashing upon the sand, rushing to meet Mia and her followers. They all dodged the counterattack; some simply by moving away while others disappeared into thin air and materialized elsewhere. However, Mia did not remain untouched; her shirt was slightly singed as she moved a second too late.
Mia glared at the boy with so much animosity that he could be seen to physically wince under her stare. Her aura before had been powerful enough, but now it had grown about five times as powerful. The column of water grew to an immense size as it shot higher into the air. The water surrounded her like the tail of a peacock. She then raised both of her hands into the air as the water around her flew towards them, her hands absorbing the water, forming a large watery ball.
"Ice Serpent!" she screamed as the water hurled itself towards the boy, forming into the shape of a slithering, icy snake with gleaming blue eyes and sharp icy fangs in a gaping mouth.
The boy finally lost his pleasant face and a fiercer one took its place, the one of a warrior. He braced himself, planting one foot behind the other, as the fire around him grew in power as well. They swirled around him like a flowing robe, twining around his arms. He raised his arms as if they were wings, bringing them up to form a T before clapping his hands together.
"Fire Hawk!" he shouted. The fire shot up from his arms, slipping into a shape of the bird of prey. Large wings stretched out across the sky as the bright crimson eyes burned with a passion, sharp beaks opened in a silent warring cry.
The two collided with each other; the force of the collision shot everyone back as the hawk and the serpent clawed at each other. Both disappeared in a fiery smoke that momentarily blocked the night sky before fading away to let the ardent stars and the smiling moon show their faces again upon the earth. Mia was about to start up the fight again when the castle lights began to light up. Shouts and cries filled the air, and the pitter-patter of feet could be heard.
"Well, it looks like the entire palace and soldiers are awaken," the boy said calmly.
"What!?" Mia exclaimed. For the first time, worries flashed through her eyes as she glanced around for a way to escape.
"You probably could leave the same way you came. There will not be any guards there as I sent them all away, so they probably would not come from that way. But you do not have to believe me," the boy said with a careless shrug.
Fuming silently, Mia beckoned for the rest of her group to leave, hating to have to owe the boy a favor. She turned back once to mouth an "I will be back" before they all jumped over the wall and out of sight. The boy just smiled as he waved good-bye.
"Garet!" a motherly voice called from behind.
The boy turned around to face his worried parents. They were both tall but slightly plump in a jolly way. Their faces were round with large caring eyes that currently looked concerned. The son resembled the father in quite a few ways as the father carried himself in the same proud manner as his son. His graying brown hair was frazzled and sticking on ends, and his slippers were on the wrong foot. His long rumpled white silk pajamas showed that he had just hastily rushed out of bed. The mother, however, managed to look more dignified as she had smoothed down her beautiful long auburn hair down and had even slipped a nicer robe on as well.
"Are you hurt?" his father asked as they walked up to their son.
"No, father. I am very well, as you can see. I'm sorry to have worried you," Garet replied politely.
"Your Majesty, there are no more signs of the intruders," one of the guards addressed the king. "Your Majesty should return back to bed and rest. We will double the guards around the palace and tighten security around the palace walls."
The king nodded as he sighed in relief. "Return back to bed, son. We will talk about what happened tonight tomorrow," shooting Garet a glance to show that he knew that his son had done something.
Garet groaned inwardly as he nodded. "G'night father, mother."
"Good night," his father said pointedly.
"Good night, Garet," the mother said with a smile as she elbowed her husband in the sides.
Garet glanced back once and smiled when he saw Mia scowl, slipping out of the tree that she was hiding in and leaping over the wall, disappearing into the night.
The girl frowned as she slipped over the wall, meeting the rest of her followers. Eyena gave her a stern glance, which Mia ignored as she led them away from the palace and searched for an inn to stay in for the rest of the night. They found one small inn that was still opened, although the landlord and wife did look at them puzzled. However, they had a proclivity to be warm and kind-hearted, and accepted the story that they were traveling through to return back to their home up north. They were given several rooms and a nice, warm meal by the fire. As soon as the landlord was out of earshot, though, Eyena pounced on Mia.
"What were you doing? That was foolish, to get into a competition with that boy. You have failed to do what you were sent out for, and security will be tight for a week or so now."
"If you are trying to get me into trouble, Eyena, then you can forget about it," Mia said superiorly. "That boy was powerful, and even all of us combined could not defeat him. You also did not notice him when he was trailing us."
"What are we going to do now?" someone asked.
"We will wait for another chance. We will get that Star no matter what."
~To be continued