Hello, and never goodbye! Don't look behind you, but it's me, SirGecko, finally getting off his ass to do the sequel he promised almost three months ago!
~Flame Gecko (George)~
Sorry. But I agree with what the flame gecko wrote. I've finally posted the first chapter for the sequel to New Ties Created. It's not much, but a start to a story I'm really going to enjoy writing. It's different from what I originally stated in the afterthoughts of New Ties Created, but better. It's going to have the content I mentioned there, but also a new twist I"m certain you'll enjoy. But with the good comes boring, and this chapter may be it. It's just the start of the story so bear with me.
And . . . no responses to do, this is the beginning of the story, I've finally started it . . . I think we're set-- oh yeah, the bloody disclaimer.
I DO NOT OWN GOLDEN SUN. IF I DID, I'D BE MUCH CLEVERER AND MORE TALENTED THAN I AM RIGHT NOW.
So, are you ready? Onto chapter 1!
Chapter 1: A Summoning
Previously:
"Checkmate!" said Lunora, giggling.
"Dammit!" shouted Ivan. "Why in the Hell is it that you beat me at every game I suggest?"
"I'm just good," said Lunora, now laughing.
Ivan continued to grumble, and then Isaac spoke up. "We're headed over to meet the Wise One. Let's go."
"Right now?" said Ivan sarcastically. "Darn. I was gonna see whether I could get the crap beat out of me in a round of checkers."
"You're such a sore loser," said Lunora playfully, kissing his hand.
"Don't worry, I stink at checkers," said Isaac. "But let's go. I wanna get this lecture over with."
Both Ivan and Lunora nodded, and they all went back down the stairs, and met up with Garet, Mia, and Solaris, who were chatting. When they saw that Isaac, Ivan, and Lunora were ready, they followed them out the doorway, and down the stairs into the main part of Vale.
On the way, several people greeted them jovially, seeming to celebrate their return, not to mention the good weather. It had been pleasant all week; Dora had even mentioned the fact that the day before Isaac and company returned home, it had been sweltering hot.
They walked up the stairs in the northern part of town, and proceeded up the pathway to Sol Sanctum. They slowly opened the elegant doors, and entered. The hallway was cool, as usual, and gave off the appearance of a mystical, yet powerful place.
They didn't have to walk far to see the Wise One hovering in their path. They all prepared themselves for a good, long lecture, but the eye of the Wise One was darting around, as though in fear.
"I originally wanted you to come because I wanted to discuss your quest with you," said the Wise One. "But, that has to wait. There's something much more important going on here."
"What could that be?" asked Isaac, looking somewhat surprised. He'd never seen the Wise One look worried, except for the time when he and Garet had set off around the world.
"I made a terrible mistake," said the Wise One. "And now . . . we have a serious problem."
Present:
"What sort of problem?" asked Garet. "What could possibly go wrong now?"
"Yeah, Alchemy's only been restored for just over a week!" said Ivan.
"It has nothing to do with Alchemy," said the Wise One. "Otherwise I would not be as concerned. You have much experience in dealing with Alchemy. No, this . . . this is a much more different and dangerous matter."
"Well then, what is it?" asked Solaris, looking slightly worried.
"You might be aware that I had Felix, Jenna, Sheba, and Piers come here for a dimensional-traveling exercise, to possibly find and detect other civilizations and worlds outside out own?" asked the Wise One.
"Yeah, we heard," said Garet.
"Well, we found a world," said the Wise One. "A world called Earth. This world has a civilized culture, and humans, just like you. But, there are four major differences between Earth and Weyard."
The Adepts were more than stunned at hearing the news of other worlds and advanced civilizations outside their own. It was amazing! They were bursting with questions. Questions like, "Where is this Earth?" and "How many people live there?" and "What is it like?". But they waited patiently for the Wise One to finish explaining everything.
"What are they?" asked Garet apprehensively.
"Well, the first difference is that Earth is bigger, far bigger. About ten Weyards would cover its surface. The second difference is that Earth is round, not flat. The third difference is that they are a far-more advanced civilization than our own. About a thousand years ahead of us."
"Wow, this place sounds really interesting," said Ivan. "I wonder what else this Earth has to offer?"
"But you haven't heard the fourth difference," said the Wise One. "Although Earthers are far more advanced, they have a much different way of life than ours. No traveling warriors, no elemental lighthouses, and . . . virtually no Adepts of any elemental type."
"What?!" shouted the group.
"Yes," said the Wise One. "There are no adepts of Venus, Mercury, Sol, or Luna on Earth, and very few of the remaining. The population is estimated to be many millions more than Weyard, and there are probably about only ten Jupiter Adepts on Earth, and maybe 300 Mars."
"That's it?" said Ivan, looking both surprised and confused. The Wise One blinked in response.
Despite this striking news, they still didn't understand what this had to do with Felix, Jenna, Sheba, and Piers. I mean, this Earth didn't have anything to do with them, unless . . . oh no.
"What happened to Jenna?" asked Garet.
"And Felix?" asked Mia.
"Well . . . they're on Earth," said the Wise One slowly. "The only problem is . . . I can't get them back. They're trapped on Earth forever . . . unless you can rescue them. You're the only ones."
Isaac, Garet, Ivan, and Mia all whistled, and leaned against the wall to absorb this latest bit of news. They all noticed how cold it was in the chamber for some reason. Cold . . . cold, dark, and mysterious . . . just like the path they would take if they were to rescue Felix, Jenna, Sheba, and Piers. But then, they all realized that it was their only way out. And they reached a silent agreement.
"We'll do it," said Isaac. "We have to, if it's their only way back."
"Good," said the Wise One evenly. "I know where each of them is, and thankfully, they're all pretty close together. I've got a map drawn up for you concerning the area in which you need to travel to find them."
"When do you want us to leave?" asked Ivan.
"As soon as possible," said the Wise One. "Like I mentioned earlier, this place is vastly different from our world, and the chances of the four getting lost, captured, or killed are very high. It's best to get moving now."
"But wait . . . what will we need?" asked Solaris.
"Gold . . . that's very valuable on Earth," said the Wise One. "But you'll need to leave all your weapons here. Also, once on Earth, your Psynergy skills will be vastly depleted, so use it conservatively, and only in extreme measures. It will be quite something for Earthers to see someone drown by a stream of water that they can't see."
"We understand," said Lunora. "Me and Solaris can be ready by tomorrow."
"So can I," Ivan chimed in.
"Me too," added Mia.
"Uh . . . started Garet hesitantly. "It's going to be tough breaking to our folks that we have to leave again so soon, and under the circumstances . . ."
"I will tell them," said the Wise One. "They will not question my word," he said. "Trust me. You'll be ready by tomorrow."
The Adepts nodded, and exited.
*******
Isaac was bustling around his house, checking and double-checking everything he would need for the trip. It was all hard to remember. He'd been given several scrolls of information by the Wise One regarding Earth, and he had now checked to make sure they were in his bag for the fifth time. His money bag was in there too, and some non-perishable food.
He hated to part with his trusty Gaia Blade. It made him feel naked somehow, exposed, vulnerable. And he didn't expect it to be any better on Earth with his Psynergy skills depleted. But, he had scanned the scrolls given to him by the Wise One, and he read that anyone caught with a blade would be locked up in a jail similar to those on Weyard. So he knew better than to take it with him. Maybe he could find a weapon of defense on the planet.
But what was most difficult for him was to confront his mother on the issue. He felt guilty in a way, him being the rather shy, and conscious of his actions and how they might affect other people. His mom looked worried and afraid, but accepted the circumstances nonetheless.
"I hate to see you leave so soon," she said thickly. "But you've traveled all around Weyard. What's a small section of another world going to mean?"
"Mom, I really don't want to leave here, but I've got to get Felix, Jenna, Sheba, and Piers, it's their only chance," said Isaac, hugging his mom tightly.
"I know, I know," she said. "It's just that I always worry about you. I lived with it for over a year, and now I have to go through it again . . . oh well. Like I said, I understand."
She broke the hug, and sniffed, turning away to dab at her eyes, while Isaac watched uncomfortably. He hated seeing his mom worry about him, even though it was a sign of affection, in a way. Then Dora turned around and shoved him toward the stairs.
"Now, you'd better get a good night's sleep," she said forcefully. "I want you all rested up before you leave tomorrow."
"I'm gonna go and help Garet pack," said Isaac. "To make sure he doesn't forget anything. You know how he forgets things sometimes when it's important . . ."
His mom laughed. "Yes, that's a good idea, but make it quick. Is an hour long enough?"
"Yeah," said Isaac, dashing out the door.
*******
"Dammit, where did I put it?"
Garet was turning his already small, messy room inside out, looking for the salami he intended to pack with him. It was nowhere to be found, and Garet was getting really irritated with himself. He had everything packed (his bulging bag had a loaf of bread and a pair of socks sticking out of it) except for that nice, juicy salami his parents let him take.
It was no easy business confronting his relatives with the news, even though the Wise One had already visited them about it. They were all sort of numb, like zombies. They didn't know how to react, despite Garet's most sincere reassurance that he would be just fine. They nodded wordlessly and told him to go get ready.
Garet sighed, a pair of shorts clutched in his fist as he stared at the Sol Blade leaning against the wall next to his bedroom door. It sure was weird being without a metal weapon, seeing as he'd handled one for over a year.
"Garet! Open up!"
Garet crossed the room swiftly and opened the door to find Isaac standing there, looking smug, with a nice, fat salami clutched in his hand. Garet's face lit up at the sight of it.
"Hey there it is! Where did you find it?"
"I tripped over it."
"Oops," said Garet sheepishly. "I must have dropped it on my way up the stairs. Are you okay?"
"Fine, fine," said Isaac, stepping into the dimly-lit room, and looking around. He handed Garet his salami. "Have you got everything?"
"I do now," Garet replied, walking over and shoving the salami into his pack. In his effort to close it up, it started to tear along the side. Cursing, he managed to patch it up quickly, and finally, close it. He turned to Isaac. "So, how did your mom react?"
"As I thought she would," Isaac sighed. "Worrying to death, sad to see me go, yet understanding why. What about your folks?"
"The same," Garet mumbled. "Only they were much more quiet, as if talking to me might make something bad happen to them . . . I don't know. But I'm glad I'm going . . . I'm really worried about Jenna."
"Are you two going steady?" asked Isaac.
This brought a smile to Garet's lips. "Gee Isaac, for being involved with someone for so long, you sure are naive when it comes to someone else."
They sat and talked about various things for the remainder of Isaac's hour, mostly about the coming journey, but also about Mia, Jenna, Ivan and Lunora. Guy talk.
*******
Goodbyes were always hard.
Isaac and Garet hated goodbyes, they were always long and usually painful. So, they made sure that the goodbyes between relatives were short and as tear-less as possible. It didn't work, though, their relatives all got teary. It was hard for Isaac and Garet themselves to keep a straight face. But finally, they met up with Ivan, Mia, Solaris, and Lunora at the sanctum, and they all trudged up to the Sol Sanctum itself.
After weaving through the unnecessarily-long passages and corridors of Sol Sanctum, they finally saw the Wise One, who noticed them and approached. He looked grim . . . well, as grim as a floating rock could.
"Well, are you ready to do this?" he asked quietly.
"As ready as we'll ever be," said Mia, hoisting her bag into a better position on her back.
"Then follow me," said the Wise One.
He floated down the corridor silently and wordlessly, and the rest followed after him, all looking apprehensive. They tried not to think about what was going to happen, about what they were going to do. They didn't want to have second thoughts about going.
Eventually, they reached a point in a particularly long corridor. The Wise One's eye glowed for a second, and then a section of the wall melted away to reveal a secret room, much like the one that took Isaac and Company from Champa to here over a week ago. The Wise One floated in, and the group tagged behind.
"Here it is," said the Wise One. "The portal between here and Earth. You can all travel at the same time, or go individually if you like."
"All at once," said Isaac immediately.
"Yeah, if we go one at a time, we might get separated," said Lunora.
"Very well. Step onto the portal."
The group obeyed wordlessly. Once on, they all shut their eyes. They never felt it. Never knew that the Wise One had already transported them to Earth, until they opened their eyes and realized that they were no longer in Sol Sanctum, but in a shack. The portal glowed slightly. They instantly knew that this was an ideal place because nobody was likely to stumble onto it.
The group all looked around, to make sure everyone was present and accounted for. When this was attained, Isaac stepped forward towards the door leading outside.
"Are you ready for this?" he asked.
"Do it," said Mia.
"Yep, let's go," said Ivan.
"Let's get them back quickly," said Lunora.
Isaac pushed the door open, the dazzling sun blinding them all.
*******
Worlds away, the Wise One floated on the top of Sol Sanctum.
"Phase one . . . complete."
************************
I'm saying nothing.
Please, please review. I know my old fans have probably forgotten me, but if you see this, review please! New readers are welcome also.
And the Geckos, with the new year, have gotten meaner, so I'd review if you know what's good for you (picks at the 23 burn stitches in left hand).
REVIEW, REVIEW, REVIEW!!!
~SirGecko~