Chapter One: Lost Destination
Part Two: Emotional Prelude to an Imminent Disaster
─Sky above the Western Sea─
Sheba gazed intensely into the eastern sky, hoping to catch a glimpse of their destination. As much as Ivan and hers' psynergy powered the ship, no speed seemed to be fast enough for the impatient adept. Did we really need to do this? What if… everyone in Jenna's home is dead? Will we have been the catalyst of the deaths of them? How could I even live with that burden upon my shoulders... ahhh, we're all so young yet we've experienced more than we could possibly have expected. And we've all had to mature so fast- not that my life was ever one for fun and games. All the expectations kept me from ever enjoying life… but when I started out with Felix and Jenna, I- I was truly happy for the first time in my life- content with who I was, no, who I am. Will that all disperse and vanish forever once we get to Vale? Please… please don't leave me to my own fate. Let us all stay together peacefully so I can continue enjoying life…
Ivan's hands deftly spun the ship's wheel while also wiping the sweat out of his eyes. The storm of winds brought no rain, only a difficult time for Ivan as he battled valiantly against forces that could bring the ship hurtling out of the sky. The gray haze obscured his view and distorted his sense of direction, but he was aided by a sense of strong alchemic force emanating miles ahead─ assumedly Mt. Aleph, where the golden sun would rise and where Alex would receive ultimate power. Is there even such a thing as that─ ultimate power? It sounds too simple to be true, and somebody should have found it sooner if it is such an easy thing to obtain. All Alex has to do is climb up Mt. Aleph and instantly he'll receive his wondrous gift. But how can such a thing exist? If it is sealed up, then that means someone centuries ago would have had this unrivaled power. If it is so absolute, then why are we here chasing after the one who would obtain it? It… just makes no sense to me, I cannot comprehend such a thing. If this person had it and did not do anything to dispose of this world, then they must have had no intention to. If that is so, then… why did he, or even she, seal it up? Perhaps… perhaps this power can be transferred to another person! If that is so! No, I mustn't think of this concept, it is too enticing and distractive. But, think of the possibilities… maybe finally Jenna will notice me, really notice…
Inside the ship, Felix was finally up and about after his second bout with unconsciousness. His footsteps echoed eerily down the candlelit hallway, sending shiver down his spine and causing his to fold his arms for warmth. He had left Kraden to himself in the ship's new "library"─ at least that was what Kraden called it. In reality, it was formerly the galley, but with so few people aboard compared to the capacity of the ship, they all usually ate in their separate quarters, the deck, or just wherever they had landed the ship for the night. Lately, Felix had been keeping to himself more often than not, causing the others, at least those who noticed, to worry for him. They had already started to come up with hypotheses of why he seemed to be so withdrawn and restless. They had begun to think that perhaps he has some sort of inner disorder plaguing his psyche. However, they had yet to find out the truth.
With Kraden left behind, the Venus adept went off in search of Isaac and those tending to him. He had started off with this room they labeled as the infirmary, but his trip there was in vain. As he now walked through the flickering light coming from a lamp lit by Mercury psynergy, he heard faint whispers waft into his mind. He stopped in mid-stride and reached to the doorknob on his left, twisting it and walking inside the dimly lit room.
Mia looked up in surprise, almost dropping the blood-soaked rag she held in her hand, but quickly regained her composure. "Felix! You're well enough to walk already, what a welcome relief. Are you hurt, though?"
"No… I'm fine, somehow. But enough of that, where is Jenna? I had assumed she would be here."
Mia went back to wiping the blood off of Isaac's forehead with a far-away yet somehow sympathetic look in her sapphire eyes. "She went to check on you, and then she said she'd go to the deck to aid Ivan and Sheba."
Felix raised an eyebrow in curiosity. "I'll be sure to find her then… but do tell, where are Garet and Piers? Shouldn't they also be lending a hand in the propulsion of the ship? Or do they have more serious matters to discuss amongst themselves?"
Mia slowly and steadily answered, "I haven't the slightest. I guess I wasn't concerned with what the others were doing with my taking care of Isaac's recovery and all." She gasped as the gaping wound on Isaac's forehead split open, seemingly of its own accord. She flung the bloody rag on the wall behind her, grabbed a roll of gauze and special adhesive for such use, and went to work on the cut slowly seeping blood. "Oh, I'm so sorry, but I cannot talk right now, Felix! Isaac seems to be in a critical state and─"
Felix tenderly laid a comforting hand on his friend's shoulder, lending what little succor he had to offer. "I wholly understand. Take care of Isaac and please don't let him slip away, we all do not wish to lose him." With that said, he turned and carefully walked out of the room, all the while staring at the bloody rag sliding down the wall and, watching it leave a crimson streak behind, then looked back at Mia's face graced with tears. He shook his head in wonder as he closed the door and softly said to himself, "But then again… I guess you already knew that better than all of us."
As he strode cautiously on the deck, Felix suddenly remembered something he had forgotten to check. On the verge of turning back, he caught himself and continued on to where he was needed. I wonder if Isaac still has the Mars star, or if that was all an illusion. If it was real, it would be a miracle if it survived that impact with the ship. After all, it is but a fragile gem. Hmm… looks like Ivan is handling things well, and Sheba looks to be off in her own little world, so I'd better not bother her… but I do wonder, where are Garet and Piers?
Ivan sense footsteps behind him and sent out a small trace of psynergy to determine who it was. Relieved that Felix could help them propel the ship, Ivan called out, "Felix! Don't just stand there, c'mon and help us! The others are all inside and it's hard enough for me to just steer this damn thing, let alone focus my psynergy!"
Felix was shaken from his inner contemplation and nodded at Ivan's sudden outburst. While focusing his psynergy into the ship's core, he walked to the stern and gazed into the distance… what he saw almost caused him to panic. "IVAN! Highly concentrated psynergy beam behind, coming straight at us! The energy from the Mars beacon from the looks of it! I'll keep the ship going; you make a shield or something, fast!"
Ivan cursed under his breath and let his psynergic connection with the ship vanish, replacing his mental effort to the creation of an air shield. However, the wind was so unruly that he could hardly gain control over it. Just as he managed to create a small barrier, the energy reached them.
Abruptly, everything turned a claret hue as the colors of Ivan's shield straining against the powerful force, the Mars energy, and the clouds encompassing it all combined. An unearthly screech filled the air and battered at the sanity of everyone, causing Sheba to lose her concentration and making the ship lurch with the instantaneous loss of power. Felix dropped to his knees, hands covering his ears, and just as he thought his sanity would disintegrate from the awful wailing, it was all over with. They had survived, and slowly regained their sense of reality. Dreamily, Ivan steered the ship back on course with Sheba's contribution to the propulsion regained. In the distance, he saw a tower looming over a barren land. Calling Felix and Sheba over to him, he pointed it out─ but they had noticed the instant they looked ahead.
Felix felt nauseated as he realized the truth of the situation. "That… is where Vale is─ or u-used to be from the looks of it."
The other two were speechless, silently offering sympathies to their devastated friend. However, Felix soon noticed something eerily familiar about that white tower, a feeling he could not deny. "That is─ Sol Sanctum!"