Chapter Seven
Alex's eyes were alight with victory. He watched as the pointed edge descended, and Piers was completely helpless, no one to save him…
From the heavens emerged another great spirit, clad in thick armor, bearing a lion-head cannon on its right arm and a giant sword in its left. It had great horns on the side of its head, and had large wings that filled the skies. It was Judgment, the most powerful of the Venus Summons.
"What madness?" Alex demanded.
Isaac had summoned Judgment after noticing that Catastrophe had been summoned. "Come on!" he said, turning to Garet. "We can still use summons from within our prison!"
Judgment dove at Catastrophe, and the two spirits clashed blades. Judgment was sent flying back, greatly outmatched, but Isaac's heart and determination lived on in this embodiment as it went for another attack.
Garet mustered up his strength, calling upon the power of his Mars Djinn. He threw up his arms and cast Meteor, and so from the sky fell a great flaming boulder, blasting Catastrophe right in the chest, sending it reeling back. Judgment then fired its great cannon at it, the shockwaves tearing valleys into the surface of Weyard, but Catastrophe blocked the blast with its great golden shield.
"If one Judgment is not enough…TWO SHALL FACE IT!" Isaac cried. He called upon four more Venus Djinn, and so a second Judgment descended, joining its partner. The two spirits fought as hard as they could against Catastrophe, and at last, giving their very energy, overcame it, and so all three spirits dissipated.
Isaac collapsed to the ground. Summoning two Judgments had required the use of eight of his nine Venus Djinn – and most of his energy as well.
Alex reeled from this development. "A waste of time," he said. He then walked up to Piers, who lay on the ground. "You...just give them up to me already. You know you are finished."
"ALEX, DON'T!" Mia shrieked. She struggled to her feet once again, and Alex saw that she had a wound on her forehead.
"Shut up," said Alex, putting out his hand. He cast Glacier and froze Mia in a large encasing of ice. And so Piers was left alone, helpless.
Garet clenched his fists. "We need to break out of here!" he yelled.
"But how?" asked Ivan. "We've already tried everything!"
"Not everything," said Garet grimly. "There is one more option left…but it is quite risky. Still, it's our only chance."
As Alex loomed over Piers, the Lemurian tried to swing his axe desperately in a last ditch effort to ward off his oppressor, but Alex grabbed the axe and cast it aside. "Now, surrender to me the last power I need," said Alex. He cast Djinnfest, and so Piers' nine Mercury Djinn came forth, appearing on his body. Alex then placed his hand on Piers' chest, and the Djinn began to leave Piers and crawl onto Alex's body. Alex grinned wildly as finally this power he needed.
Garet closed his eyes to focus. "This may blow us apart…" he said. "But with some good aim, we can bust out of here."
Alex gained two more Djinn, with only three remaining before he unleashed Alchemy…
Garet threw up his arms, and using four of his last five Mars Djinn, he cast Meteor once again, and the great flaming boulder came hurtling down toward the barrier of Wild Growth.
"You'll kill us all!" Jenna cried.
"Or break us out!" said Garet. "I told you, it's risky!"
Alex gained another Mercury Djinn, with only two left…
The meteor struck the Wild Growth barrier, rattling the earth and blowing the entire mass of vines apart. All four Adepts within were sent hurtling through the air, falling to the ground in bad shape. They were hurt, but they were free.
Alex gained another Mercury Djinn. "One more…" he said, savoring the sweet moment. "One more Djinn, and I can unleash Alchemy at last!"
Isaac sat up. He saw what Alex was doing and he jumped to his feet, moving on complete adrenaline, drawing his sword.
The final Mercury Djinn crawled onto Alex's fingertip. Just as it did, Isaac blindsided Alex and sent the Mercury Djinn sprawling unawares. The last Mercury Djinn fell to the ground, and slowly it crawled back to join Piers.
Alex got up, consumed with rage. "YOU!" he yelled. "Once again, you, Isaac, have gotten in my way! Once again, you try to stop me from achieving my dream of limitless power! WELL, NOT THIS TIME! This time I don't care how much it hurts, I WILL KILL YOU!"
The Mercury Adept drew his sword and swung it at Isaac's head in a near miss. Isaac swung his sword and their weapons clashed. Alex fought hard, drawing back and swinging ferociously, acting more like beast than man.
Out of the corner of his eye, Alex saw Piers beginning to crawl away. "YOU WON'T ESCAPE!" he yelled. He struck Isaac with the flat of his blade and sent Isaac to his knees, feeling a sharp pang in his heart as he did so. He then ran at Piers and punched him in the top of the head, knocking him out. The last Mercury Djinn became detached from Piers and fell to the ground with a soft plop once again. Alex then bent down to pick it up.
"NO!" Garet cried. He, Ivan, and Jenna charged at Alex as quickly as they could. However, Alex straightened up and swung his blade horizontally, shooting off a wave of icy water, crashing into all three Adept, easily knocking them aside in their weakened states.
"FINALLY, ALL ENDS HERE!" Alex yelled, looking around him at the fallen Adepts. "YOU HAVE ALL STOOD IN MY TOO LONG! TODAY IS YOUR DAY OF RECKONING! TODAY I CLAIM ALCHEMY!"
Alex grabbed the Mercury Djinn and clutched it hard, then took it in. It joined his essence, joining the other Djinn, and finally it was complete. All thirty-six Djinn, nine of each element, appeared, crawling over Alex's body like parasites, feeding him power.
Isaac sat up and saw the horrid events that followed. A transformation began as the powers of the four elements resonated with the quarter of the Golden Sun that flowed through Alex's blood. Alex underwent a great transformation, engulfed in golden light. His hair turned to a bright yellow color, and his outfit became golden. He gained a thick golden breastplate, and so from his back sprouted blinding white angelic wings. They spanned over thirty feet wide in total, and it was finished. Alex had risen to a much greater being than before. He possessed Alchemy, and was it, no longer an Adept but the elements themselves.
Alex turned and looked into Isaac's eyes, and he saw the fear, the faltering, and the ascended former Adept loved every minute of it. He had nearly limitless power now, but still, though stretched to near infinity, he had boundaries, for he did not possess the full power of the Golden Sun, but rather a quarter of it. However, he was still the most powerful being in Weyard, so it mattered not. At least, it wouldn't have had it not been for Alex's unquenchable thirst for power, even when becoming the most powerful he desired more power, and his desire gave way to the threat of devouring himself.
"I am not done yet," said Alex. "I am now a vessel of Alchemy, but still power awaits me." He then pointed at the Golden Sun, hanging in the sky, shining its light upon Weyard. "That is my goal. I will finally claim the Golden Sun for myself and be truly invincible!" He then beat his wings and took flight, flying to the heavens, toward the Golden Sun, toward invincibility.
Isaac was on his knees. He stared at the ground, not moving, lost in himself. He had failed…everything they had done was a waste…Felix died in vain…Alex had fulfilled his goal. Now, in mere moments, he would claim the rest of the Golden Sun's power and all would be lost. It was all so hopeless…he could see no way out…
He didn't notice the tears streaming down his face. He wept, wept over the brokenness of Weyard, and of the horrors to come; once Alex claimed the rest of the Golden Sun, his reign would be unrelenting. He would rule with an iron fist, raising an empire greater than any the world had seen, and he would conquer it. But Alex would not be satisfied there. He would continue his conquest, perhaps claiming other worlds, until at last there was nothing in existence left to conquer. All this…because Isaac had failed.
The wind blew behind Isaac. "WHY?" Isaac yelled at the top of his lungs. "WHY? I DID EVERYTHING I COULD! WHY DID THIS HAVE TO HAPPEN? WHY?" Isaac slammed his fists on the ground and collapsed, weeping, weeping over the loss of everything he held dear. All hope was gone. There was no future for Weyard.
"Why do you weep?" asked a voice. "There is still hope…the battle is not over yet!"
Isaac slowly turned behind him, and there hovered the Wise One. "Wise One?" asked Isaac, and he felt that old hatred well up within him, the one that arose when the Wise One made his party face the Doom Dragon.
"I did not expect to see you like this, Isaac," the Wise One said. "When we first met in Sol Sanctum, I knew that you would be one that would save our world. You're quitting now? It's just the beginning! The battle is not over until Alex has claimed the rest of the Golden Sun! There is still hope – you just need to find it!"
"But how?" asked Isaac. "I can't even get high enough to reach Alex, much less fight him!"
"There is a way to win this war," said the Wise One. "And it has been under your nose the entire time."