Chapter Two

Alex arrived in Vale the next morning. He was in the home village of Isaac his foe, so close to killing him…so close to ending the life of his eternal adversary…

During his time beneath the mountain, all reason had fled Alex. He was completely consumed in the lust for revenge that he would stop at nothing to attain his goal. He had nothing left; no family, no possessions, no status, no money…he was simply a man driven by vengeance, and he was so consumed that he was more beast than man.

Alex looked up, and he saw the Golden Sun in the sky, beaming down upon Weyard. It should have been mine, he thought. Alchemy…I came so close to possessing it…but it slipped right through my fingers…and now I have nothing.

But now he could have the satisfaction that the cause of his nothingness would be extinguished. And he stood at the river that Felix had nearly drowned in so long ago, and he knew that he had to take action quickly before he was found out.

He won't see it coming, Alex thought rashly. I shall flood this village…bury it beneath the waves…and it shall all end. Isaac, and even his little friends Jenna, Felix, and Garet.

It was time.

Alex raised his sword into the air. Then, with one swift stroke, he planted it into the earth. He poured his Psynergy into the river, and the water began to bubble furiously. The water was angry, and so it increased, the river overflowing, and soon the village became flooded.

Felix stuck his head out of the door of his house, and a bit of water started to flood into his home. "It looks like…the river is overflowing!" he said.

Jenna stood behind him, inside the house. "But what could cause it?" she asked.

Felix had a grim expression on his face. "This is not natural. Someone is causing this with their Psynergy – it's the only explanation. Stay inside. I'm going to find out who's behind this."

Felix stepped outside of the house and closed the door behind him. The water was now up to his knees, and he waded through the water, sword drawn, looking around for any suspicious figures.

Alex saw this as the time to reveal himself. He knew that he could take care of Felix easily. He walked, the water scattering from his feet, and he stood before Felix, just a few feet away. "Ah, Felix, long time no see!" Alex greeted. "It is good to see you are healthy these days."

Felix was in a state of shock. "But…but you're dead!"

Alex gave a hint of a smile. "It seems that I am not."

"You were swallowed by the mountain!" cried Felix. "You went down with Mt. Aleph!"

"You cannot comprehend the hell I went through," said Alex. "I was buried beneath the earth for six weeks, completely cut off…with no food or water…but I stayed alive because I still have a purpose in this world. And that is to rid the world of that cancer known as Isaac."

"You've lost your mind," Felix stated flatly. He looked around and saw that the water was now up to his waist.

"Have I?" Alex inquired. "Possibly. But you are in no position to oppose me. You have entered my element now."

With a loud cry, Alex raised his arms into the air, and a massive column of water rose up, hurling Felix high into the air. The Venus Adept cried out as he was tossed around like a rag doll, his foe raising geyser after geyser, so whenever Felix landed he was shot into the air again.

Alex walked forward, the water fleeing around him, and he stood below Felix. "Enough of this," said he. "I have better things to do." He lowered his arms, and the water column fell, and Felix plunged down back to the flooded village beneath him. Alex then drew his sword and as Felix was about to hit the surface of the water, he slashed Felix across the belly. Felix fell beneath the waves, bleeding profusely.

"Now, be swallowed by the waters of your despair," said Alex. "Feel the pain I felt of being forsaken, taken beneath the surface, rejected by all…"

Felix rose to his feet, breaking the surface of the water, which was now up to his chest. The water around him was a red sea, and he was slowly dying. "You're…going to hell…with me…" Felix coughed, blood streaming from his mouth. He then swung his sword as hard as he could. The tip of his blade cut Alex's sleeve.

"Even in your dying moments you have to fight fate?" Alex asked. "Fine. Die at the hands of your worthless ambition."

Alex plunged his blade into Felix's chest, piercing his heart, and Felix died instantly. The Mercury Adept pulled his blade from his foe, and the Venus Adept fell back, his corpse sinking beneath the surface in a pool of blood.

Alex took out a cloth and wiped his sword clean. He then looked down at Felix's underwater body, and saw the small Venus Djinn crawling forth, their master dead. Alex laughed dryly. "I might as well help myself," he said, reaching beneath the water and taking the nine Djinn. They became his, and so he gained the power of Venus Psynergy.

"I found who's doing it!" came a voice in the distance.

Alex turned and saw Garet and Isaac standing atop the roof of one of the houses. All of the villagers had climbed to the roofs of their homes, for the water was now licking at rooftops.

"It's…Alex?" cried Isaac.

Alex felt the hatred for his foe in his heart. The boy that caused him to be trapped in that godforsaken hellhole…

"That guy is nuts!" Garet drew his axe. "He tried to take the power of the Golden Sun, remember? That's what the Wise One said, anyway."

Alex thrust his arm out and cast Quake Sphere, sending Garet tumbling off the roof and into the water. He was swept away in the rushing waters.

"Did you just use…Quake Sphere?" Isaac cried. "But that's Earth Psynergy! You're a Mercury Adept!"

"Venus Djinn have that effect on me," Alex said wickedly. He outstretched his arms, and the nine Djinn he possessed appeared, crawling over his body, feeding him strength. His dark ways had turned the Djinn to parasites, corrupt and slaves to his will.

"But those are Felix's Djinn!" exclaimed Isaac. "What did you do to Felix?"

"He lies under the waves, gone forever," said Alex. "He lies in a pool of his own blood. He wasted his life trying to stop me."

Isaac became overcome with rage. He drew his sword from its sheath, and his hands shook from the hatred that filled his heart.

"Come on, Isaac…" Alex smiled cruelly. "Pour your hatred into me…try to kill me. You shall not succeed."

Isaac swallowed hard. He clutched the handle of his blade. Within him had awakened a rage that he had not known existed. He knew that Alex had to die.

With a deep breath, he leaped off of the rooftop toward Alex.