Pike: Back again, but now with Chapter 4!
Disclaimer: Pike Anderson doesn't—Pike: Honestly, do you have to say my entire name every time?
Disclaimer: Your own fault. You're the author of this story. Pike Anderson doesn't own Golden Sun.
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Chapter 4: Alex and Mia
It's so… cold…Adrian opened his eyes to a whole different world around him. Mountains of snow rose in the northern horizon, and mounds of snow were scattered here and there. It was a blizzard, all right. That's all it was. Snow, snow, and some more snow.
But what could he do about it? He was defenseless. He hadn't the warmth of his mother's robe or the strength of his father's bare hands. He was a child. He was a Mercury Adept, but he was a child…
Adrian rolled over, panting hard. Poseidon had left a strong side effect to his teleportation spell – several of them, to be sure. The worst was exhaustion. The small boy felt like he had walked the whole of Weyard without a single pause. He couldn't take another step. He was going to die, after all…
Suddenly, he felt a tingle in his ear. It wasn't from the snow, nor was it from frostbite. He was hearing something – or someone. It was the voice of a strong man. And by the sounds of it, he was leading more than himself through the rush of snow. Weakly, shivering from head to toe, Adrian rolled over again and tilted his head back. He saw across the snowy plains. A group of travelers was heading his way!
"Help…" he tried to call. But the wind drowned out his call, and he was too weak to call louder. "Help…"
It was like an eternity waiting. The voices started to become echoes in the mist. Louder, but still far away…
"Look!" came the echo of a girl's voice. "There's someone over there!"
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Adrian groaned. His head was pounding madly, but he wasn't cold anymore. On top of that, he wasn't out in a blizzard anymore. Where was he, now? First, Poseidon. Now, this… place – whatever it was called.
He was lying in a warm bed, covered by thick bed sheets and blankets. It was very comfortable in the room. The hearth was burning with a leisurely roaring fire, keeping the room warm. Had he died? This seemed like the Heaven he had been hearing about from his grandparents…
His family. Adrian suddenly felt a shiver of cold once more. This time, though, it was a shiver that wasn't caused by the weather. It was worry for his family. He hadn't seen them since… since the evacuation of Lemuria. He stared at the ceiling, chewing on his bottom lip. What had happened to them? What had happened to them?
The door opened.
Reflexively, Adrian shot up into a sitting position in bed and cried out, "WHAT HAPPENED TO THEM!?"
The young girl at the door withdrew in sudden fright. She peeked out from behind the door. The boy she had been tending to for a while was panting very heavily. The least she could do was calm him down. She hated to see anyone die – especially from fright or shock or paranoia.
"Um…" She hesitated from entering the room, but she eventually revealed herself to him. "Are you okay?"
"I'm…" Adrian calmed himself down. He sighed. "Yes, I'm okay." He swiveled himself into a sitting position so that his legs dangled from the bedside. He looked at the girl curiously. "I'm very sorry for yelling like that."
The girl giggled gently. "It's quite all right."
She found it rather difficult to look at the boy, let alone speak to him without stammering. When she looked at him, there was a clear temperature rise in her cheeks. Adrian didn't seem to take notice.
"Where am I?" he asked. "What is this place?"
"You are in my father's house, in a town called Imil," she replied tersely. "My name's Mia, and I've been helping you recover from that ruthless blizzard that occurred a few days ago."
"Have I really been asleep that long?"
"I believe so. I don't remember you waking up at any other time since we found you." She shuffled her feet shyly. "And… may I ask who you are?"
Adrian looked at her with his curious expression again. His blue brow furrowed. He was out of Lemuria, now. And there seemed to be no sign of danger – at least, with the girl before him. Yet, he felt the urge to say something other than his name – something to represent his once proud city of Lemuria. Poseidon himself also told him he'd change his name in the outside world. …But what?
The images of his crumbling homeland flashed into his mind. The chaos. The horror. What kind of name could he ever get from those? The collapsing towers. The eroding soil. The statue…
"The statue," he breathed to himself.
"Hmm?" Mia asked. "What did you say your name was?"
Adrian felt like a satisfied cat. He had found a new name. "Alex."
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Pike: Whoa! Coincidence alert!
Disclaimer: Not really. You're the one writing it.
Pike: Still, isn't that even the teensiest coincidence?
Disclaimer: No.
Pike: Maybe I'm not using the right word… until next time, y'all. You do know I found a partner to talk to besides you.
Disclaimer: WHAT!?