Disclaimer: To see the full disclaimer, see the prelude. Golden Sun belongs to Camelot and Nintendo. This is a fanfiction, written solely for entertainment.

A/N Please Read: Pardon my extremely long author note, but a few people have now been telling me that they want me to use more apostrophes. I really didn't think that it was such a big deal, but… I am now used to spelling things out, and have grown fond of saying cannot instead of can't, because I feel that each of them have a different emphasis. "I can't do it," and "I cannot do it" is not the same to me. I will use whichever one I feel works best. However, if it really bugs you all, then I'll pay note and use apostrophes a bit more while I'm typing.

I have also re-edited all of the previous chapters. Nothing major changed, so you don't have to go back and read it again. If anything is still confusing, let me know how it is confusing so that I can fix it. They always make sense to me because I wrote it =D. Without further ado, the next chapter!

"The only real voyage of discovery consists not in seeking new landscapes but in having new eyes."-Marcel Proust

Chapter 4. CHAMPA

"Hold it!" a voice called out from behind the Adepts.

Isaac and his friends turned to see the crowd of people part to let someone walk through. Out of the sea of brown and black, one blue haired man walked through. He stood out from the rest of the people, not solely because of his hair color, but because he seemed to carry the air of authority. His eyes were a bright gold that shone with the wisdom and experience of an old man, although the man before them could not have been more than twenty some years of age.

"That was a Djinni, wasn't it?" the man asked the Adepts enthusiastically.

Ivan glanced hesitantly at Isaac before nodding.

"Excellent!" the man beamed. "Follow me."

The man turned, prepared to leave. The Adepts, however, hesitated to move, warily watching the man.

"Please," the man called without looking back, "I must ask you to trust me for now, Isaac. If you want, you can have your mage Mind Read my intentions."

Isaac looked surprised to hear the man call him by his name. "How did you-"

"He can be trusted," Ivan said solemnly.

"We have to hurry," the man pressed.

Ivan nodded and began to follow the man. The other Adepts, puzzled, hurried after the two. The rest of the crowd, disappointed at the cessation of their kill, found their interests stirred up again as they also followed the man and the Adepts.

"Where are we going anyway?" Garet wondered.

 The Adepts had been weaving through the forest, turning this way and that. Isaac glanced back nervously, realizing that the man was leading them further and further away from the shore and closer and closer towards the other end of the forest. He could only faintly make out what appeared to be the edge of the forest as the trees around them began to slowly thin out. Before him he could make out a mountain range that stretched out before him for miles, hiding a small village to the northeast. A cascade of spring water from further up the mountains came gushing down near the village, forming a great waterfall that became a river, the lifeline of the village.

"This must be Champa," Mia said softly to Isaac, "the village that Alex told us about. It appears that he wasn't lying that time."

Isaac nodded begrudgingly, hating the idea of having to admit Alex was right. They had come up to the riverbank now and could hear the bustling noises of people in the village waking up and starting their daily routine. To the amazement of the Adepts, however, the man did not look like he was planning to cross the river to reach the village and halted by the riverbank instead. 

"That was close. We almost did not make it," the man sighed as he watched the dawning sun climb higher into the sky, casting a warm glow as it crept slowly to chase away the shadows.

"Make what?" Garet asked.

"Shh," the man shushed. Without looking again, he called, "All of you who have followed, return to your normal posts."

The crowd behind the Adepts grumbled and groaned as the people left, slinking back into the forest. The man ignored their complaints as he carefully waded out into the river, stopping when he reached the middle, turning to watch the Adepts expectantly. The Adepts cautiously followed suit and waded toward the center. Upon reaching there, the man faced the roaring waterfall.

"What is he doing?" Garet asked. "He's just standing there."

A blue aura suddenly shot off the man and leapt towards the waterfall.

"What is going on?"

The floor then began to rumble gently, surprising the Adepts. The water that fell down the mountain's face continued to pour down in with a rush, but the water began to diverge to form a doorway large enough to fit a man as it neared the bottom. The man walked right up to the doorway and through it, poking his head back to tell the Adepts to hurry. Having seen stranger things, the Adepts followed without a question.

"Wow," Ivan said in admiration as he walked in.

Stretched before the Adepts was a large cavern. Upon the walls near the waterfall were fiery balls that provided light that appeared to be a soft rosy morning glow, while the fire in the interior was a much brighter color. The Adepts clambered out of the water onto a surprisingly warm surface as several people came up to the Adepts blankets to dry themselves with.

"Thank you," Mia said absentmindedly as she wrapped herself in the wooly warmth of the blanket. "These lights near the front… they are made so that they would match the brightness of the light outside, aren't they?"

"Yes, they are," the man said, pleased. "You have a keen eye. These lights are to prevent the villagers from thinking that there is something suspicious in here."

"Why?" Isaac asked suspiciously. "Are the villagers not your kindred? Why would you bring us here, behind a waterfall, instead of taking us to the village?"

"All in due time, Isaac," the man said cheerfully. "However, I am sure that you would all prefer to talk after a warm bath and a good meal, right? The hot springs in here are quite delightful, and I will have the cooks prepare a hearty breakfast."

"I believe that we should know a little more about you and what has been happening before we could simply trust you and relax," Isaac insisted.

"I would, but…" the man started.

Suddenly, a rumbling noise filled the air.

"But I find that it is your friend that would rather wash and eat before talking," the man finished amused.

Isaac turned to see a sheepish Garet. "Sorry, Isaac, but I have not eaten since yesterday's lunch."

Isaac sighed as he gave up and allowed the people to drag him off to the hot springs.

* * *

"Wow," Garet said in admiration, eyes shining.

"Careful, Garet, you're drooling," Mia teased as she saw what Garet was admiring.

"Yum, food," Ivan smiled. "I'm hungry."

Isaac rolled his eyes as he listened to his friends admired the generous spread covering a large table before them. After all the traveling and camping out they had done, he thought they would have grown used to skipping a meal every now and then. Just then, his stomach growled.

"So Isaac is human, too," Ivan laughed, deciding to reveal Isaac's thoughts. "What was all that we should be able to skip a meal every now and then?"

Isaac colored slightly as the man approached the Adepts.

"Please, sit down."

"Wait, is all of this food for just the five of us?" Garet asked.

"Who else would the food be for?" the man shrugged.

"And there is no catch?" Garet continued.

"Of course not!"

"Oh, I am so happy!" Garet cried as he plunked down into a seat.

"Garet, where are your manners?" Mia hissed. She turned to the man and bowed her head gracefully. "Thank you so much for your hospitality."

"Think nothing of it," the man said kindly as he kissed her hand in a chivalrous manner.

"Yes, so let us all sit down and eat," Isaac interrupted loudly.

Ivan sniggered into his hand as he sat down next to Garet, leaving Mia to sit between Isaac and the man. Isaac shot a cold look at Ivan and glared at the man.

"So tell us just who exactly are you," Isaac demanded, pushing aside any feeling of graciousness.

"Ah, pardon my rudeness," the man smiled. "My name is Picard."

"I do not know anyone by the name of Picard. How did you know our names?"

"I didn't. You looked like the hero of lore, Izzaik, but because I am aware that the name 'Izzaik' is not very common anymore, I simply called you Isaac. They say that the name fits a person. And how true it proves to be this time," Picard said amusingly.

"What are you talking about? And why would you feed us after you tried to kill us? How do we know that the food is not poisoned?"

Garet gasped and immediately dropped the roll he was biting into and started gagging.

"Garet, the roll is not poisoned," Ivan said with a roll of the eyes.

"Ah, the event from this morning was a misunderstanding. I just found out about the execution this morning, and I arrived to find out that you were Adepts. And I would not go through all this trouble just to poison you here."

Garet sighed in relief as he picked up his roll and bit into it again as he and Ivan watched the one-sided battle Isaac was waging against Picard. Isaac seemed to be debating with himself mentally about whether to eat or not as he stared at the rolls intently. Mia finally rolled her eyes as she grabbed a roll and stuffed it into Isaac's mouth.

"Isaac, you are not a rock. Eat," she demanded.

Picard observed all of this with amusement. A man dropped by his side and whispered something into his ear. The others watched silently as Picard's normally kind eyes became hard and cold. He nodded curtly and stood up.

"Please continue with your meals," he said gracefully. "I am afraid that I will have to leave to take care of some business."

"Is there something we could do to help?" Mia asked.

Picard shook his head as he started to leave. "No, it is quite all right. I will return promptly. Enjoy your meal."

 "He seemed to be really worried," Ivan commented as he sipped his drink.

"I don't care," Isaac retorted.

"I wonder what got him so upset," Mia wondered.

Just then, someone burst into the room. "Picard!"

"Picard just left. Can we help you with anything?" Mia asked the distraught man.

"The monsters are too much! We need his help."

"Monsters?" Garet exclaimed as he stood up.

"Isaac, we have to help," Ivan said.

Isaac nodded. "Everyone, prepare yourself!"

* * *

"What is this?" Picard exclaimed, alarmed. "How did they all get in here?"

Picard had burst into what appeared to be the bottom of an empty well. The walls of the well were a deep blue color, and splendidly carved, silver characters of an ancient language could be seen as they snaked up the walls.

"We can't hold them!" a voice called from above.

Picard tilted his head back to see looming over him five great watery bird-like creatures. Their icy beaks glittered in the light as they stretched their wings to fill the entire room. The birds screeched loudly as they flapped their wings. Several men tried to constrain the creatures by throwing ropes around the birds, but the birds were too strong. No sooner had the men finally captured one of the birds did the bird simply outstretch its huge wings and easily break through the ropes.

One of the men, a Beast Tamer, raised his whip. "BLUE DRAGON!"

By his side, a small, blue dragon appeared. The dragon roared as it spewed icy shards toward the birds. However, the birds easily dodged the shards and flapped their own wings, sending ice missiles toward the men. Most of them quickly used Glacier to form a frozen barrier between them and the attack, but a few of the men were still injured as the missiles sliced through their arms and legs, fortunately missing any vital spots.

"Retreat!" Picard shouted at the men. "Take the injured and have the women tend to them!"

"What about you?" one of the men called. "You cannot possibly take on all five of the creatures!"

Picard shook his head. He knew that the levels of the birds easily surpassed the levels of the men. It would be better for them to leave. "Just go! I will be fine!"

The men hesitated, but followed his orders. Several of the men helped the injured while the remaining men kept guard to ward off the attack. Once the injured were able to retreat, the rest of the men also left.

The birds screeched ferociously to see that their victims had left. They then spied the lone Picard at the bottom of the well. One of the birds began to beat its wings maniacally as ice shards fell towards Picard.

'Shit, they're water creatures. That means that they are not vulnerable to my attacks. Five against one means that I am the one at a disadvantage… How am I going to defend myself against this?' Picard thought nervously. His eyes widened when he noted that a particularly large ice shard was crashing towards him. He leapt backward to only notice that another shard was heading his way.

"Picard, duck!" a voice called. "FIREBALL!"

Picard had dropped to the floor, covering his neck and head area. He could hear the whizzing sound of something flying above his head and could feel the warmth of fire. Soon, the warmth was replaced with small water droplets that sprinkled over him. He raised his head to see that the ice shards had been destroyed. Standing around him were Isaac, Garet, Ivan, and Mia, weapons raised, knees bent, ready and alert to the slightest action from the monsters.

"Are you all right, Picard?" Mia asked.

"Yes, I'm fine, thanks to you guys," Picard replied as he stood up.

"Let's take care of this," Garet said.

"Watch out, a bird is flying straight towards us," Ivan cautioned.

"ERUPTION!" Garet shouted.

The floor shuddered as the Adepts looked down. The ground glowed a fiery red, and the Adepts' feet were starting to feel a scorching heat. Rocks started to spew out from the center of the circle and a peak of magma could be seen.

"Garet!" Mia shrieked. "We are the only people on the ground. The eruption is going to burn us!"
"Oh…" was all Garet could reply.

"Release SHADE!" Picard called.

"A Djinni!?" Isaac gasped.

"Now is not the time for that, Isaac!" Ivan said as he watched the lava approached them.

The fire burst forth as the Adepts quickly leaped back, moving into the walls. However, when the fiery liquid gushed toward the Adepts, a blue barrier appeared before them, absorbing much of the strength of the attack. However, the Adepts did not leave the attack without any damage.

"Ow…" Ivan whined as he stood on one foot.

"Sorry," Garet said meekly.

"It is all right, Garet. I know that you only intended to use your stronger attacks to help destroy the enemy," Picard said sympathetically as Mia cast Wish Well on the group.

The birds had hung back when they saw the bubbling fire, not wanting to have an early death. As the lava disappeared, however, the birds let out their war cries once more. One bird started to plunge towards the Adepts again, icy claws outstretched to slash a human body.

"RAGNAROK!" Isaac called.

The giant sword appeared as Isaac raised his own Gaia Blade. When he slashed the sword, the magical one also moved. The bird tried to dodge the attack, but the sword still managed to slash a wing. It tried to pull out of the attack and fly upwards, but crashed into a wall. Ivan faced the wall and outstretched his hand, a purple ball of light gathering into his hand.

"TEMPEST!" Ivan shouted.

Four columns of purplish wind rose from the ground and grew taller as they hungrily sought the injured bird. Upon reaching their prey, the wind engulfed the creature. An anguish cry could be heard from before the creature became nothing more than dust. One of the birds, seeing the fate of their comrades, fled. Another bird attempted to lead, but the leader of the creatures, the largest bird with the brightest plumages, saw poorly of desertion. The leader opened its beak as a blue light gathered there before forming into a bright beam that would destroy the deserter, leaving only two birds left.

"ICE MISSLE!" Mia cried.

"STONE SPIRE!" Isaac shouted.

"INFERNO!" Garet yelled.

Together in a brilliant flash of blue, yellow, and red, the combination of ice shards, rocky spires, and flaming fireballs collided with the remaining two birds, easily destroying them both. The birds turned into water droplets that fell like rain upon the Adepts as something shiny fell from the sky. It landed softly into the dirt and glittered brightly.

"What is that?" Garet asked.

Picard walked over to pick up a glimmering necklace on a shimmering chain. The pendant was shaped as a fiery sun, the rays shining outward. In the center of the sun was a golden gleaming gem.

"It looks like you have retrieved my stolen treasure," a voice said gravely.

The five Adepts turned to see an elderly woman approach them. She was short with long gray hair tied up on top of her head. She had wise bright brown, almost orange-colored, eyes. Her robes were of a rich orange color as well and were made of a high quality silk, possibly from the silk city of Xian. Two pairs of hoops hung on each of her ears. She walked over to them slowly.

"Picard, I must thank you for retrieving my treasure again."

"Again?" Mia asked, confused.

"Yes, these monsters constantly return to try and steal my treasure. It is only because of Picard's kindness that the treasure is still safe."

"Ah, Lady Obaba," Picard began, "thank you for your kindness, but I was not the one who retrieved the necklace."

"What are you talking about?" Obaba asked.

"The ones who retrieved the necklace… would be them," Picard said as he stepped aside.

"Ah, I thank you, strangers, for retrieving the necklace. It is a very important keepsake of mine."

"But why would the monsters try to steal the necklace?" Ivan asked.

Obaba and Picard shared a significant look. "I am afraid that you would not understand now," Obaba said, shaking her head. "However, I must reward you for your help."

"Oh, no, a reward is not necessary," Mia said.

"I insist," Obaba said. She raised her wrinkled hand and started chanting something in an ancient language.

"What is she doing?" Garet asked.

"Shh…" Picard shushed.

"… Heart of the earth, fury of the forge's flames, grant me your treasure!"

The ground beneath the Adepts' feet glowed brightly as the words embedded in the walls lit up. A tremor could be felt as the light grew brighter and brighter when suddenly four beams of light burst through the earth. The Adepts shielded their eyes from the bright light and the pebbles that were sent flying from the sudden explosion of light. When the lights finally dimmed, the Adepts watched silently as four gems hovered before their eyes. They were all an onyx color with an asterism that shinned and winked at the Adepts.

"Rocks?" Garet whispered softly in confusion.

"Shush," Mia said as she nudged him in the ribs.

"No, they are not just rocks," Obaba said, resting her gaze on Isaac. "I can see that you are not ordinary travelers. Although you certainly do not look like 'mighty warriors,' ( nobody every looks like a mighty warrior to Obaba) I believe it is best that you take these with you."

"What are they for?" Ivan asked curiously.

"I do not know," Obaba said with a shrug.

"Wha-what?" Garet blurted suddenly. "You do not know!? Then why are you giving them to us?"

"I don't need them," Obaba said lightly. "And they aren't doing anything embedded in the ground. So I decided to pass them onto you. Maybe you can find a use for them on your travels."

The Adepts felt a gigantic sweat drop rolling down their heads as Obaba turned to Picard.

"Picard, I have a favor to ask of you."

"Anything, Lady Obaba," Picard said with a fluid bow.

"I know it is a bother to constantly call you over here from your home to help with our trouble, so I finally decided to pass the necklace onto you. May you guard it well from your home land."

"Lady Obaba, I cannot possibly take your most precious treasure," Picard argued. "It is not a problem at all to come over when you are in trouble. After all, we have to stick together during times like this."

"Picard, please do me this favor," Obaba insisted.

"As you wish, then, Lady Obaba."

Picard delicately took the necklace into his own hands and placed it around his neck, hiding it underneath his tunic.

"Heart of the earth, fury of the forge's flames, grant me flight!" Obaba chanted as a fiery bird emerged from the earth. The bird bowed its head, allowing Obaba to climb around its neck. "Thank you, Picard. I will be leaving now before the villagers discover that I am here."

Saying that, the bird took flight upwards. The Adepts watched in confusion while Picard bowed once more. When he turned to face the Adepts, the dam broke.

"Who is that?" Garet wondered.

"Where is your home land?" Mia asked.

"What was Obaba chanting?" Ivan questioned.

"Just what the hell is going on!??" Isaac demanded.

"One at a time, one at the time," Picard said, raising his two hands like he was surrendering. "That was Lady Obaba, the last possessor of the ancient secrets of Ankhol, which is what you heard her chanting. This is her forge, at the bottom of the rocky cliffs that are the home to many of the Champans. She's quite talented. There is supposedly nothing that she cannot fix, no matter how broken it is. Ankhol is a long-lost ancient civilization, much like Lemuria-my homeland."

"Lemuria!?" the Adepts gasped.

"Is there something wrong?" Picard asked, confused.

* * *

After a long time and after eating more food, the Adepts had finally finished narrating their story, and filling in the missing pieces of what had gone on during their short period of separation, to Picard. Picard had stayed remarkably quiet, only asking the occasional questions, and looked neither surprised nor skeptical to hear about Mt. Aleph and the elemental stars.

"So, this is what has been happening all these years," Picard said, furrowing his forehead in deep thought. "That will explain what has been happening. Things have changed greatly from the way they have been."

"Explain what? I still have no idea what you are talking about," Garet said.

Picard gave a small, enigmatic smile. "One day you will see. Right now is not the time or place for a history and philosophy lesson."

"What do you mean?" Ivan asked suspiciously. "You have told us barely anything about yourself, yet we have told you everything about ourselves. Why all this secrecy?"

"I would love to chat with you more, but it is time for you all to leave. You may not know it, but we have talked for several hours. The sun will be setting soon, and because of the pressing nature of your mission, you must leave as soon as possible. Once the villagers have returned to their homes, you will be taken back to your ship."

"Why do you and the others hide from the rest of the villagers?" Isaac asked.

"Ah, Isaac, Garet, and Mia, you may not understand because Adepts are looked upon favorably in your towns, but Ivan may know of what I speak about. Those who do not understand about Psynergy would rarely treat Adepts kindly. The people that reside in these caves are the last few Adepts from the Ankholian line. To the Champans, they do not exist. If the Champans should find out about their existence, what do you think will happen to them? They will be persecuted or used to raise money for the villagers by having them display their powers for a price. The Champans have fallen upon hard times, and will rely solely on Psynergy if they should learn of its existence. I come here often to aid the remaining Adepts here during their times of trouble, and so Champa is like a second home to me. It is a shame that things are coming to be like this," Picard said with a sigh.

"Why are things like this? It is just not fair," Mia protested.

Picard laughed. "You are all so naïve. You have much to learn about the way things are in Weyard."

Garet wrinkled his nose at being called naïve. "That is not true!"

Picard only smiled knowingly, like a parent smiling at a child. "Only time will tell."

"Master Picard," a man called from the doorway. "The time has come."

"Speaking of time… Well, my friends, it looks like it is time for you to depart. I have sent people to repair your ship and restock your supplies to make up for the horrendous error made this morning, and this man will take you to your ship. I have enjoyed meeting the four of you. I wish you luck on your journey!"

"You are not going to come send us off?" Mia asked.

"I am afraid not, my dear Mia, but I am sure that we will meet again. If you intend to sail for Lemuria, you are directly northwest of Lemuria right now. However, if I may make a suggestion, I would not rely on the lighthouse for guidance."

"Why not?" Isaac asked suspiciously.

"This part of the Great Eastern Sea is guarded over by both Lemuria and Champa. The Champans will attack those who wander into this area, and the Lemurians will throw sailors off by creating an illusion."

"So that's what it was!" Ivan gasped. "That is why people cannot find Lemuria. And that look-alike…"

"The what?" Picard asked.

"No… It's nothing."

"I recommend that you follow your instincts. Perhaps you will fare better that way."

The Adepts stood up and hesitated, not ready to leave or willing to stay. They started following the man out of the room when Picard called out to them.

"One last piece of advice-looks can be deceiving. Good luck then!" Picard said with a suspicious sweet smile.

"I still do not quite trust that man," Isaac muttered as the Adepts trailed the man on the familiar path through the cave.

"I think your opinion is biased," Ivan teased gently. "I think you should lighten up. After all that has happened…"

"My opinion is not biased!"

"Shh," the man shushed the Adepts as they slipped away from the waterfall. Isaac reddened sheepishly and the Adepts remained silent until they reached the safety of the trees.

"After all that has happened, I just want to go to sleep," Garet yawned.

"I am just glad that all four of us are able to walk down this path together," Mia said.

"A lot has happened while we were separated," Ivan brought up thoughtfully. "I learned a lot during that time of separation."

"What did you learn?" Mia asked.

"How… we are the strongest as a team. When we were separated, we were in danger of being destroyed. That was the first time since all four of us teamed up together that we had been separated. If we are to overcome any future challenges, we will have to do it as a team."

"But of course," Isaac smiled. "I would not imagine it to be any other way. Although, it seemed that for a short period of time, you made an excellent leader. That message you left on the doorknob was a stroke of genius."

"No," Ivan said with a shake of his head. "I was not sure if it would even work. I had to put the remainder of my power into leaving a strong message. I guessed that it would only last for a while, and I was worried that you would not find Mia and return back in time."

"You didn't know!?" Garet exclaimed. "You mean you were gambling with our lives? What if Isaac didn't find Mia in time? Then what would you had done?"

Ivan shrugged. "I don't know. How did you find Mia anyway, Isaac?"

"What do you mean?" Isaac said in surprise.

"Well, you said that you found her with…Alex…in the forest. How did you know she was there, and not drifting somewhere out in sea?"

"Did you forget? You and Garet were the ones who pointed out the way," Isaac said incredulously.

"Isaac, we were captured." Ivan reminded Isaac. "How could we have pointed out the way?

"I thought that you found Mia with your Mind Read!"

"No, I was fighting for my life back on the ship."

"Maybe you were hallucinating," Garet commented.

"I was not hallucinating! I saw you two. Garet helped pull me up, and Ivan pointed through the forest. I followed the path, and I found Mia!"

"It wasn't us, Isaac," Ivan said, shaking his head.

"Then…who was it?"

An uneasy silence again fell upon the group. Only the rustling of the leaves, the cooing of the birds, and the scuffling sound of feet moving hurriedly across the earth could be heard. A gentle breeze began to blow, brushing against the Adepts and the leaves. Isaac tilted his head back to feel a beam of sunlight that shined through the leafy canopy overhead.

"Watch out for the tree-" the guide began.

"Ouch!" Isaac cried.

"-root…"

"Are you okay, Isaac?" Mia asked as she knelt down besides the embarrassed Adept. While enjoying the sunshine, the Venus Adept had tripped over a large tree root. "Are you injured anywhere?"

"Besides my injured pride, I'm fine." Isaac pressed his hand against the root to help push himself up from the forest ground, when something stopped him.

"Isaac? What are you doing?"

Isaac merely smiled as he stood up. "No, it was nothing."

"Look, I can see the exit!" Garet exclaimed.

The Adepts emerged from the forest, waving farewell to their guide, who had slinked back into the forest. They turned to return back to the ship, but Isaac lingered behind. He turned to face the forest and smiled.

"Thank you…"

"Isaac, let's go!" Garet called happily.

"Off to a new land," Ivan beamed.

"Come on, Isaac," Mia said as she walked back to Isaac, pulling his arm.

"Prepare to leave, everyone!" Isaac smiled, feeling his troubles and worries leave him behind.

"Bye-bye!" a small voice chirped happily, watching the Adepts sail away.

"Why do you still keep that form?" a green haired, pale skinned girl asked.

"Because I like it!" a brown, spiky haired boy smiled, looking strikingly like Garet.

"Honestly, are you sure you are a forest spirit? You sure do not act like one!"

* * *

"Two whole days have passed by since we left Lalivero, and we are still only by the coast of Angara," Isaac sighed.

"Hey, cheer up Isaac! Don't be such a glum!" Garet scolded.

"We will find Jenna and Lemuria," Ivan said gently.

"Yes, things are looking to be in our favor. It is a red night tonight," Mia said.

The other Adepts looked around them to see that in the darkening sky, traces of a warm red could still be seen.

"Red sky at night, sailor's delight…"

~To be continued in Chapter 5-MIST