Chapter eleven... (Sniff)...I'm so proud of me!

Jenna: Awww! You're sweet when you're happy!

YAY! BIG HUG!

Jenna: Too far!

Aww! I want hug!

Jenna: Get a teddy then!

(Teddy magically appears)

YAY! TEDDY!

Jenna: I'm scared now.

Sorian: Yes, Jenna is my muse, got a problem? 'Cause she's ready to beat anyone up for insulting her.

Jenna: Yeah! Wanna fight? Huh, huh? Didn't think so. Oracle doesn't own Golden Sun, I do!

An Unlikely Enemy

The whole world turned dark as the battle began. People watched in silence while changes started to happen everywhere after the release of the Jupiter power.

In the north, the Mercury star that sat atop of the Mercury lighthouse flickered dangerously as if its power was slowly ebbing away. Those in Imil became increasingly ill. Winds blew wildly from the southeast covering the whole town in ice and snow.

In Lalivero, similar things were happening. The Venus star's light was also fading away and the heat in the town had become unbearable. The water dried up leaving the people dying of thirst in the unforgiving sun.

Far away from these places, in the middle of the eastern sea, the cities of Lemuria and Contigo sat in a cloud of fog. Despite the terrors that were happening all over Weyard, the blue skies were filled with the songs of birds and the villagers walked through the legendary cities completely unaware of any trouble.

In between these two cities, the third lighthouse, the Jupiter Lighthouse, glowed with the immense power of the Jupiter star. It alone seemed unaffected by the changes and it shone much brighter than the others. The energy was quickly growing as the fight above continued.

The Lemurians below that had noticed the fight were watching in awe from the streets below as five flying creatures soared through the air. On closer inspection, they appeared to be angels, flying on magical wings of different colours and three of them were attacking the fourth, a strange girl on wings of a ruby red. She dodged each attack sent at her with the grace of a bird, neutralising the powerful psynergy with her own.

The fifth angel floated by the sidelines, her yellow wings beat steadily. She simply watched the scene before her, but did nothing to help. Instead, a grin had spread across her young face as the fight escalated.

The red angel was too fast and hadn't even taken a hit yet whereas the others were tired and injured.

"Just give up!" Karst yelled, sending another ball of fire at her opponents.

"Never!" Isaac flew forward and sliced through the fireball with his sword, destroying it. "Give back the Mars star Karst!"

"Never!" she mimicked in a high-pitched voice. Flying higher still, she tossed the star from hand to hand, never once letting it slip from her grip.

"We don't want to fight you Karst," cried Mia, her beautiful blue wings shinning in the light created by the lightning that flashed all around the lighthouse. "If you want to light the lighthouses, we're on the same team now."

"Sweet kindly Mia," Karst interrupted, shaking her head slowly, "I'm afraid we'll never be on the same team. Your team is a bunch of murderers and I'll never forgive any of you for that!" She sent a huge flaming dragon straight at Mia with all the strength she could muster, but Sheba reacted just in time to shield her with the power of her Djinn, Haze.

"Stop it!" Sheba cried, "Stop it now! This won't solve anything! Karst, we didn't kill your sister. It's true that Isaac, Garet, Mia and Ivan fought Saturos and Menardi, and they won, but I know that they didn't kill them."

"How? How do you now?" Karst demanded, pointing a long nailed finger at Sheba's face.

"Because I was there. I had been taken to the top of the lighthouse with them and I saw what happened. Saturos and Menardi threw themselves into the centre of the lighthouse because they couldn't face their defeat. Isaac didn't kill them, they killed themselves."

"No...you're lying! She wouldn't, she promised she'd come back!"

Karst threw another fire ball at Sheba before trying to make a break towards the ground, but she was too slow this time. Isaac darted in front of her, cutting her off.

"Please Karst. We just want to talk. We want to make you understand."

"I know your upset, but we really do want to help," said Alicia as she finally approached the group.

"Help? How can you help me? I don't even know who you are!"

"I'm Alicia as Trinity said before and I believe we have a common goal. You want the last lighthouse lit; I want the last lighthouse lit. You want to get rid of the obstacles in your way," she indicated at the other three adepts, "And I also want to get rid of them too."

"What? Alicia..." But Isaac couldn't even finish before a cry came from Sheba. She pointed to the lighthouse aerie below them where Trinity had created a dome of psynergy around their friends. It hung there for a moment then disappeared with everyone inside it.

"NO!" Isaac nearly swooping down to find out what had happened, but a thought stopped him. He turned to the smug Alicia. "YOU!" He had grabbed her before she'd had a chance to escape. Mia quickly realized what had happened and grabbed Alicia's other arm.

"Where have they gone?" she asked, the desperation in her voice giving away her fear.

"I don't know what you mean," Alicia answered with a fake look of innocence on her face, "Now, let me go."

"Not until you answer a few questions. Sheba, do what you do best," said Isaac, still holding the struggling girl.

Sheba nodded and silently flew over to face Alicia. She placed her hands onto Alicia's temples then went into the trademark trance of the psynergy, Mind Read. After a few minutes, she blinked, her face contorted with fear and weariness. The world around her blurred. Her body was so weak from the stress of flying and trying to break through the barriers in Alicia's mind; she could hardly stay in the air. She suddenly gave up and plummeted back to the aerie.

"Sheba!" Mia called, but she still held Alicia with Isaac and couldn't rescue her doomed friend. A figure flew past them and sped after Sheba. Just before they reached the aerie, the figure caught Sheba, pulled up and gracefully landed.

Isaac and Mia lowered Alicia to the ground then faced Sheba's saviour, their hands still firmly holding their captive.

"Why did you save her? I thought you didn't trust us," Isaac said, his azure eyes wide with disbelief and distrust.

"I don't trust you," Karst answered, "But as you may be the last hope for the survival of Weyard, I guess I'll have to."

She checked Sheba over carefully, making sure that she had no permanent damage, then cast Healing Aura before helping the Wind adept to her feet.

"Thanks," said Sheba shakily.

"So, what did you see?" Isaac asked, tying Alicia up with the rope Karst had just created with her fire psynergy.

"It was just a jumble of images, each one more devastating than the last. I saw Alicia with two others who were shrouded in shadows, I couldn't see who they were, but they were all using psynergy to destroy everything from buildings to innocent people."

"Do you think she is the evil force that Lord Avon spoke of?"

"I don't know." Sheba turned from Mia to Isaac who had been rather quiet. He suddenly faced Sheba with his piercing eyes.

"Before we can face this new enemy we need to find the others. Do you think you can use Mind Read on her again?"

"Probably." Sheba was about to use her psynergy again when Karst grabbed her hands.

"Here." She pushed something into Sheba's hand. When she had removed her hand, Sheba saw that it was a Psynergy Crystal. Sheba looked at Karst curiously who simply turned her back on the group once more. Sheba smiled and felt the power flood back into her body. Once again, she used her Jupiter power and delved into the mind of Alicia. This time though, she focused on a single question.

Where are our friends?

I'll never tell you! was the firm reply.

Where are they? Sheba's hands became tense by Alicia's head and Alicia seemed to go into a different sort of trance. She shook consistently and gave gasps of pain every so often.

The palace...in Lemuria, she finally mumbled in a weird unearthly voice.

Where in the castle?

It's...it's...NO! You'll have to kill me before I'll tell you!

TELL ME!

"NO!" Alicia's screams echoed through the air, startling those around her.

Sheba tightened her grip on the mind link, her eyes glimmering with tears as her body shook.

Below the Teleportation circle, a secret staircase, the password...Said the suffering girl.

What's the password?

It's...the password is...Whatever Alicia was about to say dissolved in a sea of screaming. The tears slid down Sheba's face as she desperately tried to continue. All her strength had left her and she was about to give up when Alicia murmured, Golden Sun, before she collapsed in the rope's grip.

Sheba removed her hands and looked up at her friends, her face wet and her body still trembling.

"They're in the castle, where the teleportation circle is." Her eyes turned to Isaac who looked upset at what he'd made his friend do. "Please, promise me something. Never allow me to do that again."

Earth brown eyes slowly opened and looked around, but didn't seem to take anything in. Each movement the person made sent waves of pain from his toes to the ends of his long hair. It took him a while to realize that his arms were held up at the sides of his head by a large amount of heavy chains and that his feet were in the same state.

Felix fought hard to remember what had happened, his mind fuzzy and unwilling to co-operate. He vaguely heard a voice speaking to him from his left, but couldn't figure out what it was saying.

"Felix..." He turned at the sound of his own name, the only thing he could recall at that time and met a familiar pair of chocolate brown eyes.

"Jenna?" he managed to mumble. The girl nodded shaking her own set of chains.

Suddenly, his memories began to flood back into his mind. He remembered the trip to Lemuria, meeting Piers and various other people, the trip up the Jupiter Lighthouse and the birth of the Elemental Leaders. Then Trinity turned on them and used a powerful sleep spell on them. She must be the evil force!

He looked up and saw his vision clear. He was in a large dungeon cell, like the one Jenna and Sheba had been in, but much bigger. In was empty apart from one large wooden table in the middle that had sets of chains attached to the corners. The only sound other than Jenna's and his own breathing was the constant drip of water onto the dirt-covered floor.

To Felix's right was another person chained up just like he was. This person was also beginning to wake. With a shake of his head, he flicked a large amount of blue hair out of the way, revealing his young face and golden eyes.

"Felix? What's going on? Where are we?" Piers asked, attempting to free himself only to find he was as weak as Felix felt.

"You're the Lemurian, you tell me."

More groans came from further to Felix's left. Garet and Ivan gazed around, equally confused.

Doing the first thing that came to mind, Felix tried to send a small earthquake up the stone wall to free himself from the chains, but soon realised that he could barely concentrate let alone summon any kind of psynergy in his present condition.

"I see the power sealing potions you drunk have finally taken effect."

The five adepts twisted their pale faces towards the voice. By the only entrance and exit to the room stood four robed figures. The smallest stepped forward and pulled back the hood that covered his face. Everyone gasped when the face of Max came into view.

"Max?" Jenna asked weakly, "But why?"

"Because, you simple Mars Adept, I wish to have more than just having the lighthouses lit once more. For you see, I have had a little chat with an old friend of yours..."

One of the taller figures moved next to Max and removed his hood.

"I should have known!" Felix spat while glaring into the gleaming eyes of his old companion, Alex, "I knew you'd fit into this somehow, you...you..."

"Now, now, temper Felix. We don't want you to get any more hurt than necessary now do we?" Grinning maliciously, Alex swept forward and held out a hand towards Jenna's face. He carefully ran his long fingers through her hair that had come loose from her ponytail. She closed her eyes, disgusted at what he was doing and scared that he was going to do more.

"DON'T TOUCH MY SISTER!" Felix strained even harder against the chains, desperate to defend Jenna.

"Don't worry Felix, she is safe for now. You all are, if you co-operate with us." Once again, Alex's eyes gleamed evilly as he turned back to Max and the other two figures. "I'd do it now if I were you."

Max nodded and beckoned one of the mysterious people over. He whispered something into the person's ear who nodded and took off their hood. It was Trinity.

"Before you do anything, we have the right to know what's happening at least," Piers reasoned with them.

"Well, if you have the right," Alex answered sarcastically, "Fine. As you know, lighting the lighthouses will cause psynergy to enter the world again as it did once long ago. But what you don't know is that the light from the four beacons will summon the almighty Golden Sun to rise once more over the top of Mount Aleph, a place I'm sure you know quite well. The one who allows the full might of the sun to shine on them will receive the ultimate powers, immortality and enough psynergy to rule all of Weyard. This is what I want and so do my associates, and to get it, it means destroying all of you which is what we will do!"

Trinity walked towards Piers, the same smile on her face that was on Alex's'. She reached out and rested her fore and middle fingers on the forehead.

"Ah, Piers," said Max, "Taking over your mind will give me so much pleasure. When you are gone, there will be no one to take over the throne of Lemuria and with my power, they'll all bow done to me within seconds. DO IT!"

Piers gave a strangled yell as Trinity's fingers glowed pink. He struggled as much as possible, trying anything to release her hold on his mind, but nothing could stop her now. He slumped back against the wall, His eyes closed, his arms limp in the chains and his body lifeless with an image of pain set into his strained face.

Jenna sobbed silently while the boys stayed silent, the shock still new in their mind like an open wound.

"Now, who's next?" Alex asked cockily, turning from one adept to the next, "I think the Wind Adept that had the indecency to meddle with things that don't concern him."

Ivan's eyes widen with fear as he went rigid and very pale. Garet looked mortified.

"NO! Take me instead of him! Like you said, he isn't part of this, let him go!"

Ivan was quite shocked by these words. He knew that Garet was only saying them to stop him from getting hurt which made him feel incredibly grateful, but what if there was some truth to the words? Was this how Garet really felt?

"Back off, it'll be your turn soon," cried Trinity, pushing Garet back against the wall with amazing strength. He gave a yelp of pain and stayed still.

Within seconds, Ivan's screams were echoing around the room even after he'd blacked out like Piers.

Jenna could barely hold back the tears that stained her face while Felix closed his eyes tightly. It was what he'd always dreaded. After he'd seen his family get hit by a rock that had seemed to kill them, he'd tried his best to harden his heart so he would never have to feel that pain again. It was bad enough having to have left Jenna behind when he'd journeyed to Prox and now she was going to be brainwashed just like he would be in mere moments. The sorrow that he'd held back for so long came back full force.

He opened his eyes just in time to see Garet close his and Jenna cry out in pain as the same happened to her. That was when he snapped. His body became tense with anger and glowed golden just like Isaac had at the top of the lighthouse. The chains around his wrists and feet burst apart and disappeared into the air.

"Stop him! He'll ruin everything!" Max cried out in frustration.

Alex, Trinity and the final mystery person charged at Felix, but he was already pulling out his sword and met them all head on. His powers seemed to have increased immensely somehow and he able to send each of them to the floor with a few quick slashes of his blade, even Alex. He turned his attention back to his friends only to find Max standing between him and them. He slowly pulled back the long sleeves that covered his arms, revealing that instead of having normal human arms, he had silvery arms made of metal. Max looked from Felix's surprised face to his arms that were lengthening and sharpening, creating two deadly blades that cut through the air effortlessly. With a smirk on his face, he began to walk towards Felix.

"Your turn Felix. Now, will you come along quietly or will we have to do this the hard way?"

"You'll never get away with this!"

"Hard way it is then."

Cliffhanger Alert! Cliffhanger Alert!

Jenna: NO! How could you do that to me and Garet?!

Remember, it's just a story and it isn't you.

Jenna: I know, but still. EVIL with a capital E!

Thank you! Review, you know you want to.

Jenna: Reviewing makes the world go round!

Thank you Jenna!