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

Disclaimer #2/Warning: 4/17/04 It has been brought to my attention that astral projection has been associated with witchcraft, and while it did not offend the reviewer, the reviewer was slightly uncomfortable with the topic. Although I think the reviewer misunderstood the meaning of astral projection, let me first deeply apologize to anyone I may have offended, as that was not my attention at all. I have done some small research into it to make sure that I did not incorrectly portray astral projection, and I have not seen it being associated with witchcraft or anything of the sort.  It is my fault, then, that a proper warning hasn't been given. However, this story and I, the author, are not trying to promote witchcraft or anything of the sort, nor am I attempting to press anything onto the reader. I reiterate that this is a fanfiction written solely for entertainment, and I enjoy using my creativity to connect all sorts of things together. Let me further warn that other ideas that may be associated with witchcraft might appear in other chapters, and if this makes you uncomfortable, you are certainly welcomed to stop reading this fanfiction. I again apologize for anyone I may have offended, and I thank you for having the patience to read this awfully long warning.

 "Life is either a daring adventure or nothing. To keep our faces toward change and behave like free spirits in the presence of fate is strength undefeatable."-Helen Keller

Chapter 6. LEMURIA

"Welcome to Lemuria!"

The Adepts gaped as they looked all around them. Just a moment ago they were wandering around in the mist surrounding Lemuria, lost and confused. Then they met this Lemurian, Lynn, who suddenly brought them to Lemuria. They were no longer lost, but they were still greatly confused.

"How is this possible?" Ivan said in amazement.

The Adepts turned around and around as they tried to take in everything. They appeared to be in the middle of a square. Up ahead they could see a fountain, and there were green grass and young trees all around them. Stone statues lined the walkway and there were small stone buildings. Somehow it all seemed to be too surreal, a quaint yet ancient and powerful civilization hidden within a giant patch of mist in the middle of the ocean. Even now wisps of the mist could still be seen in the air. This was the legendary Lemuria.

"How did we get here?" Mia asked, almost in disbelief.

"Silly, I brought you here," Lynn beamed.

"Yes, but how did you even know we were there? How did you bring us here?"

"How did you all come here?" a voice asked.

"Picard!" Mia exclaimed as she turned around.

A worried looking, familiar blue haired Adept was walking up to them. "Hurry, you must all hide immediately! Quickly!" He began motioning for them to move away from the center of the plaza while Lynn gave them a small wave and wandered off.

"What's the rush, Picard?" Garet asked.

There was no answer, but the concerned look never left Picard's face. Ivan exchanged a worried glance with Mia. Picard never looked this worried, not even when he was fighting the water birds back in Champa. His nervousness made the whole group feel edgy. Ivan felt relieved when the group finally approached the row of stone statues where a shadow was cast over them.

"CLOAK!"

Even before Picard could bat an eye, the group disappeared, blending in with the grass and statue. Only the slight indentation of the grass and the soft sound of breathing gave the group away. However, no one in Lemuria would pay attention to such details. Too caught up with the boredom of their lives, none of the Lemurian had even noticed that a group of strangers suddenly appeared in their town square. Relieved that a riot or panic hadn't started, Picard's face began to relax.

"What's wrong?" Mia asked softly.

"I thought someone was following me."

"Why would that matter?"

"Picard!" an unfamiliar voice called.

Picard immediately tensed again as he turned around with a plastic smile on his face. "Lord Conservato! How are you today? Lovely weather we're having, isn't it?"

The balding man addressed as Lord Conservato only snorted as he adjusted the glasses perched on his small nose. "Lovely weather? What kind of fool do you take me to be, Picard? This is how the weather has been for countless years."

"A good thing, too, isn't it?" Picard replied soothingly.

"Didn't you hear me call you?" Lord Conservato asked angrily, stroking his graying beard.

"I must be growing old. I'm afraid my hearing is going."

"Ha! I already started growing this white hair before you were even born, lad. If you're old, what does that make me?"

Picard patted the slightly hunched over man soothingly. "There, there, Lord Conservato. It was a tasteless joke on my part. Why were you looking for me?"

"That's right-I heard from some of the palace servants that King Hydros has been talking to you about Alchemy again. You're still young, Picard. Don't let Hydros fool you with his nonsensical theories. After all, your father was a member of the Senate once. He wouldn't like these ideas that the king is throwing around. You understand, Picard?"

"Yes, I understand. I appreciate your concerns. Please, don't worry about me. I am very aware of the fact that what the king is talking about is just theories."

"Well, as long as you know that," Lord Conservato mumbled satisfactorily as he started to wander away.

When the old man wandered out of sight, Picard began to relax again. He was about to lean against the statue when he heard a noise.

"Ouch!" Garet exclaimed.

"Oh, I'm so sorry. I almost forgot that you were there," Picard apologized sheepishly. He thought he heard a soft, "yeah right" from someone and then an "ouch," but he must have imagined it.

"Is it safe to come out now?" Ivan asked quietly.

"Oh, yes, yes it is."

After not seeing the four Adepts for a while, Picard was almost alarmed to see them suddenly appear out of the shadows. They were all panting softly and fanning their faces.

"What's wrong?"

"How would you like to be crowded with three other people in a small area of shade and cannot breathe too loudly or move for five minutes?" Isaac asked wryly.

Picard made a face. "That doesn't sound very pleasant at all. I'm sorry to have kept you in such an uncomfortable situation. Why don't I make it up to you? My house is just ahead of us, and I'll have my mother make you something to drink and eat."

"Food?" Garet asked eagerly, his face lighting up.

"Yes, and you can be assured that the food won't be poisoned," Picard recalled amusingly.

"Yeah, sure, whatever," Isaac grumbled as he started to follow Picard.

Ignoring Isaac, Picard repeated a question that he had asked earlier. "How did you all come here in the first place?"

"Why? Do you not want us to be here?"

"Oh no, it's not that all," Picard reassured the group. "I'm just… slightly surprised that you were able to enter Lemuria. I wasn't expecting you to be able to enter Lemuria, even though I told you how to reach here. No one has been able to enter here before. I didn't even think it was possible anymore for anyone except Lemurians to enter Lemuria."

"We were brought here by your mother," Mia answered softly. "Although we don't know how, either."

"Oh," Picard groaned softly as he rubbed his forehead. "My mother. She must have used Transport."

"Transport? As in teleportation?" Ivan asked with interest.

"No, no, Transport is slightly different. Transport is a rare Lemurian Psynergy that allows the user to move between places through water. My mother's Transport ability is really strong. She can astral project and travel to places where she physically cannot go, and as long as she is near water, she can Transport whatever she finds back to where her physical body."

"Astral project?" Garet asked, confused.

"Astral projection isn't Psynergy," Mia explained. "It's a situation where the conscious mind leaves the physical body and moves into what is called an astral body. The person is aware of everything that happens to the astral body and is connected to the astral body by a silver cord. Astral projection is one of those out-of-body experiences."

"I heard of cases where people had out-of-body experiences, but I never believed that they were true," Ivan said.

Picard laughed. "Every Lemurian tries to astral project at least once, and those that can are envied by the rest."

"Why is that so important here?"

"Why? The reason is simple-everyone wants to escape. No diseases, peace, and near-immortality. That all sounds great, doesn't it? There is no fear of dying and nothing to live for. What kind of existence is that? Everyone tries to astral project so that they can temporarily leave this island."

"If you want to leave, why don't you all just use Transport?" Isaac asked.

"It's not that easy," Picard said with a shake of the head. "The strength of Transport varies with each individual. Those who have Transport can only move to places that they have been to before. After so many years, we have lost contact with the outside world. The only place that we can go to is Champa, and you have seen the conditions there."

"Then sail away! Don't the Lemurians have excellent ships?"

Picard laughed bitterly. "Yes, we have the finest ships of all of Weyard. However, we cannot escape. You must have encountered the Sea of Times-that endless maze of whirlpools, volcanoes, and rocks." Seeing the group nod, he continued. "Just as you could not come in, we cannot get out. There is a monster that lies within the Sea. He was once our guardian, but he has turned into our jail keeper. Our bravest men tried to leave, but they now reside on the bottom of the ocean."

"I don't believe it. I don't believe that there isn't a way for you to leave."

"What are you talking about, Isaac?"

"If you really wanted to leave, Picard, if all of the Lemurians wanted to leave, if you wanted it enough, then you would have been able to find a way."

Picard stared at Isaac. "It isn't that easy."

"Then you don't want it enough," Isaac said softly. "Nothing worth having is ever easy. Your lives are easy so your lives are meaningless. To keep what is dear to you and to obtain what is important to you, you have to fight. If you can't stand up and fight, if you aren't strong enough to find the strength to fight, then you will lose everything."

Ivan glanced at Isaac, and without using Mind Read he knew what Isaac was talking about. Isaac had lowered his head, but Ivan could see the glimpses of teardrops. The death of his father occurred three years ago, but it was still a painful memory to Isaac. 'He still blames himself…'

Picard somehow understood as well, and he smiled sadly. "You're right, Isaac. I don't have the strength to fight. I don't want it enough."

A rather awkward silence hung in the air as the group slowly headed to a small stone building. Mia had walked closer to Isaac and clenched his hand tightly in a reassuring matter, but Isaac's words seemed to reverberate in the air. The Adepts all wondered silently just what they were fighting for and what was the meaning of their lives.

"What a gloomy group you make," Lynn said with a frown at the doorway. "Picard, just what did you tell them?"

"Nothing, mother."

Lynn merely tsked and shook her head. "Well, then, don't just stand around. Take them to see King Hydros."

"What?" Picard asked in surprise.

"Are you deaf, boy? I said take them to go see King Hydros. I went to visit him while you were taking to them, and he wants to see our guests. Shoo! What are you waiting for? Go, go!" To emphasize her point, she shut the door firmly.

"Mothers!" Picard said in frustration. He was already storming off towards King Hydros's castle at a brisk pace, not caring that the Adepts had to rush to keep up with him. "They don't let you know anything before hand."

"Halt!" a guard called.

"Out of my way, I'm not in the mood to chat today," Picard snapped.

"State your business, Picard."

"I have guests that are here to see King Hydros."

"Yes, King Hydros did tell us to let them in," another guard said with a nod.

"All right, but mind your manners before the king," the guard warned the group.

Never had Isaac and his friends seen such splendor. Smooth tiles covered the floor in soft purples and pinks with a long red carpet laid across the center of the room. On either sides of the carpet were pots of fresh sweet-smelling flowers. Amazingly, there were also two pools of running water within the castle that flowed into the streams outside the building. Servants saw the group as they walked down the carpeted path and immediately started whispering and turning away.

"Never mind them," Picard told the Adepts. "They aren't used to seeing outsiders."

He had reached a delicately carved stone fountain and had taken one of the two flights of stairs that were on either side of it. There was another stairway that led them to another long red carpet.

"Halt, who goes there?" another guard called.

"Picard with the outsiders that King Hydros wanted to meet."

The guard nodded and allowed the group to pass. "Mind your-"

"-manners, yes we know," Picard said with a sigh.

"Picard, you are in an unpleasant mood today," a deep voice rumbled.

"King Hydros, these are the guests that you wanted to see," Picard said as he bowed.

The rest of the Adepts followed suit and bowed before the king, but Isaac had managed to catch a glimpse of the king. He was a stately figure with a prominent large nose, His hair was white like Lord Conservato as well, but while Lord Conservato's hair seemed old and limp, King Hydros's hair still had hints of blue and were still full of life.

"So these are the people who have managed to enter Lemuria," he said with amusement. "Please, stand up. We have quite a bit to talk about."

"Then, if I may have your permission," Picard began.

"Yes, Picard, you may leave. Come back in half an hour to take your guests back."

"Yes, Your Highness."

"Half an hour?" Garet nearly whined. "What are we going to be talking about?"

The Adepts looked horrified at Garet's outburst, but King Hydros merely laughed. "You're right. What are we going to talk about? I do not know anything about you four mysterious people that suddenly appeared. I don't even know your names."

"My name is Garet," Garet offered. Pointing out the rest of the group, he continued with the brief introduction. "These are my friends Isaac, Ivan, and Mia."

"I see. So why have you been seeking for Lemuria? I doubt that you are here for any personal reasons."

Garet nearly wanted to cry when he heard the question. The time it took for them to tell the story of their quests grew longer with each time they had to explain it. They could be here forever. King Hydros must have sensed the anxiousness Garet felt because he had sent his servants for some food and comfortable cushions to sit on. With these comforts given to him, Garet could relax while the rest retold their tales.

"That is quite a story," King Hydros finally said at the end of the group's narration. "Unfortunately, I'm afraid that your search for Lemuria will yield nothing."

"What do you mean?" Mia asked.

"We no longer have any of the draught that you seek for. We used to bottle these special draughts so that we could travel throughout Weyard, but Babi stole the remainder of the draughts. It is also the real reason why the Lemurians are trapped within this island. Without draughts, all of our people will soon die off. Our life spans are considerably shorter than the life spans of others. Isn't that ironic? On an island where death is a special occasion, the fear of death never leaves. It is the same reason why Babi is desperately trying to search for more draughts."

"That doesn't make sense," Ivan said slowly. "How can you not have any more draught? All of the Lemurians on this island are still near immortal, aren't they? So how can you not have any draught?"

"We don't drink a draught. The waters on this island restore our vigor and vitality and can grant full immortality. However, once you leave the island, you see mists. You can even see some of the mist on this island. Once these waters leave the island, they become mist and have the opposite effect. Instead of restoring vigor and vitality, they reverse them until you are as helpless as an infant. The combination of the two working at the same time is what prolongs our life and gives us near immortality."

"That explains what happened back on the ship," Mia agreed. "But then how did you make the draught before?"

"The secret of the draught was given to us by a foreigner many years ago. He had made many bottles of draughts, and we used to have storerooms filled with draughts. However, he passed away without leaving the secret behind."

"So then we aren't going to be able to help Lord Babi," Garet said.

"Actually, there is another place that you can try to find the draught."

"There is? Where?" Ivan asked in surprise. "I'm surprised Lord Babi hadn't found out about it."

"The foreigner brought us the secret of the draught from his homeland. You can go there to learn more."

"Where was he from?" Isaac asked.

"He came from the Moon."

"The Moon!?"

~To be continued in Chapter 7-Appearances

A/N: I'll give you an invisible penny if you can guess who said "Yeah right" and then "Ouch." You can have an invisible nickel if you can guess why the person said "Ouch." ^v^ By the way, I got the information about astral projection from the web. Yes, well May is coming soon, and that is my Dooms-month because I have a lot of exams during the first two weeks of May. Unfortunately, that means that even though I have the next chapter pretty much all planned out, I won't have much time to write until after all that exams are over. Thank you all for understanding!

~mangazgal