Chapter Fifteen

Isaac fell through the air, completely helpless. He had just allowed a horrid demon to take control of Weyard…and it was all his fault…

At the height of the tower the demon took on another shape, one of a terrible dark king, and he placed the crown upon his head and sat upon the throne, a great scepter in his hand. He now ruled Weyard…it was his to keep...with complete control over Weyard's Alchemy, the demon king planned to rule with an iron fist.

Isaac continued to fall, the ground rushing up toward him very quickly. He didn't wish to live anymore…he didn't deserve to live for the atrocity he had brought upon Weyard…

No, thought Isaac. I can't just lie down and die. I made a terrible mistake, and now I need to right my wrongs!

Isaac looked around desperately as he fell, then finally grabbed a trusty dagger that he kept hidden in case foul events should befall him. He then pushed himself through the air, and he moved toward the tower wall as he fell with only sheer willpower. He plunged his dagger into the wall, slowing his descent, but it snapped, and he tumbled downward twenty more feet until at last he hit the ground. He broke seventeen bones.

There laid Isaac, a bleeding mess. He lay on his front, bloody stumps on his back where his wings had been. He moaned from the horrid pain he suffered, and he was unable to move. His arms and legs were broken. His neck was broken. He could barely breathe, with blood streaming out of his mouth. He choked and coughed, wheezing hard.

And then the rains began. Rain beat down on Isaac's mangled body as he lay there, helpless and weak. He was all alone in the world…he had gone from being king to being nothing. And it was his fault that the world had fallen under the demon king. It was Isaac, not the demon that claimed Weyard's Alchemy, and it was Isaac, not the demon, that had tortured the peoples of Weyard, ruling over them madly.

Isaac could not connect thoughts. His head was pounding, and he felt as if he was swirling around. Rain beat down on him, and he was sopping wet, covered in blood and rainwater. And so he passed out of consciousness, on his last whim.

- - - - -

Isaac opened his eyes, finally awake. He looked up, and saw that it was still raining hard. It reminded him of his battle with Alex, how hard he had fought to defeat the maniac, only to succumb to temptation himself.

Isaac had been lying on the ground for two days. He groaned, struggling to move himself, but once again, he could not. Tears streamed down his face, and for the first time in his life he felt completely helpless, completely alone, with nowhere to go. Even if he did have somewhere to go he could not get there.

Isaac's eyes turned to the tower he saw. He hated it, hated his creation, and he wanted to tear it down. But he was powerless now, nowhere to go.

This is how Alex felt.

Isaac's eyes widened. He realized it now – this is how Alex had felt when he had fallen into the crumbling Mt. Aleph. He was weak, alone, powerless, his body broken. And now he felt that same lust for revenge – to kill the one who wronged him.

Isaac wished for the demon to die. But he knew that the demon had to die for another purpose – to liberate Weyard from his evil grasp. And Isaac wasn't going to accomplish that by just lying there.

But what can I do? thought Isaac. I can't even move.

"Isaac?"

Isaac's eyes turned to see six blurry figures standing at a distance. They were bedraggled, their clothes torn, a complete mess. Yet, he knew exactly who they were.

"What happened?" a familiar voice demanded. It drew nearer. "Is this some of your trickery, you asshole?"

Isaac tried to speak, but he only coughed up more blood. He saw Garet's face draw near to his, and saw that one of Garet's eyes was shut. A big slash mark was across his face. Isaac couldn't make out the others.

Isaac moaned, only managing to sputter an indistinguishable response.

"I think something's seriously wrong," Isaac heard Mia's voice said. "Why would Isaac be lying on the ground like a bloody mess?"

"He deserves it," said Piers. "He betrayed us – he betrayed all of humanity. He caused its decline – we should just kill him right now."

"Then what are we waiting for?" demanded Garet, taking out his axe. "I thought I knew this bastard. But he just went and stabbed everyone on Weyard in the back. I've been waiting months for this."

Ivan, Sheba, Mia, and Jenna would not respond. They all turned away, unable to watch the execution of their former friend.

Garet raised his axe above his head. "It's time to end this forever," he said. He then swung it down.

"NO!" Mia shrieked. A great blue barrier formed around Garet, Garet's axe striking it and bouncing off, sliding across the muddy ground.

"WHAT ARE YOU DOING?" Garet roared, turning to Mia. "WHY ARE YOU LETTING HIM LIVE?"

"Because…" Mia choked back her tears. "Because…didn't you ever to stop to think why he's lying on the ground like this? What kind of position is this for the God of Weyard?"

Garet paused. "It doesn't matter…" he said slowly. "He turned his back on everyone…everything…AND I WON'T FORGIVE HIM!"

Garet bent down and picked up his axe. He then walked up to Isaac's bloody body, but Mia ran in the way, standing between him and Isaac. "I won't let you do this!" Mia cried. "If you kill Isaac, you'll be just as bad, if not worse, than him! You're just going to kill a defenseless person! Someone who needs desperate help!"

"I'm doing this for the good of Weyard," said Garet. "It doesn't matter – it's for the greater good!"

"GET BACK!" Mia shrieked.

"I'm warning you, Mia…" said Garet coldly. "If you don't get out of the way…I'LL KILL YOU TOO!"

Ivan stepped forward and struck Garet in the back with his staff, knocking Garet into the mud. "I've had enough of your shit, Garet!" yelled Ivan. "Just shut up and lie down!"

Sheba stepped forward. "Yes, Garet, you've taken this leadership role too far," she said. "I wish Isaac could have stayed our leader…"

Jenna stepped forward as well. "I agree," she said. "I'm sorry Garet…but you're wrong."

Piers sighed and stepped forward as well. "They're right," he said. "I'm sorry, brother, but you can't just go around killing whoever you want."

Garet shook his head, rising to his feet, throwing his axe into a large puddle. "You're all nuts," he hissed. "You're all nuts, all of you! You're just going to let this guy live?" He spat at them. "Go ahead. Heal him – I don't care anymore. If Weyard is in the hands of these idiots, then so be it."

Mia bent on her knees and placed her hand on Isaac's face. "He's almost dead," she said. "We need to heal him quick!"

Ivan and Sheba carefully rolled Isaac onto his back. Piers, Jenna, and Mia then placed their hands on Isaac's chest, and they gave everything they had to heal him. Slowly, his bones reformed, and his wounds closed. The bloody stumps on his back were removed, and he had wings no more.

The healers worked furiously. He returned to the state he had been in before the whole Alex incident – a regular Venus Adept again. Finally, at last, Isaac was healed. He rose to his feet, looking at his former comrades.

"You guys…healed me?" Isaac asked.

Mia nodded. "We figured that something had to have happened," she said. "We knew that the God of Weyard would not just be lying in front of his tower in a heap." She looked down. "Are you…still evil?"

Isaac stared at the ground as well, unable to look into the eyes of those he had wronged so horribly. "I don't know what I am anymore," he said. "But you have given me a second chance at life…one I did not deserve. But I swear I will fix the mistakes I made."

"Why were you lying down here, anyway?" asked Ivan.

"It's a long story," said Isaac. He then explained the entire ordeal with the demon, and how his lust for power had allowed the demon to live on that now ruled Weyard.

"So what now?" asked Isaac after he finished his account of the prior events. "That demon holds all of Weyard's Alchemy at his fingertips. We can't beat him. He controls everything."

Piers grinned. "We've been busy all this time, too," he said. "We knew that since you had all of Weyard's Alchemy, we needed something that could strip you of that power so that we could end your reign."

Piers took out the Mercury Star. Ivan took out the Jupiter Star, and Mia took out the Venus Star.

"So we can use the Elemental Stars just like in the battle with Alex?" asked Isaac.

"Exactly," said Jenna. "But we have a different purpose this time around. Piers did some really interesting reading in the accounts of Lemuria, and learned that there is one Summon, mightier than all others, that can only be called forth using combined Alchemy of all four elements. Epsilon, the King of the Summons, has Iris as his wife and Queen and Catastrophe and Judgment as his right and left hand knights. His wicked brother is Charon. Long ago, there was a battle between these Summons and a great demon king known as Lucithel. It was Epsilon, the king himself, who sealed away Lucithel and brought Weyard to peace at last. Lucithel was stripped of his powers and sealed away in the depths beneath the earth, far beneath Mt. Aleph. And based on what you told us, I assume that this demon king is Lucithel himself. At first we assumed that you, Isaac, were Lucithel's second coming, but it seems that Lucithel himself has emerged and become God of Weyard."

"And that's why we're going to summon Epsilon once again," said Ivan. "We're going to put this all to an end at last."

Isaac nodded. "I will help you," he said. "Would you…are you willing to accept me as part of your group again?"

All five nodded, and Isaac grinned widely, tears streaming down his face. "I really don't deserve you guys…" he said, wiping his face.

"Let's get going," said Piers. "There's no time to waste. Let's just get this done with."

"It won't be easy," said Isaac. "Lucithel's power is greater than anything. He's way more powerful that Alex ever was."

"Doesn't matter," replied Ivan. "Because we've got the Savior of Weyard on our side."

Isaac grinned, and so they headed for the entrance of Lucithel's tower, which was just before them, as Isaac had lain at its foot. Isaac watched as they headed for the entrance, with Mia staying behind, and Garet standing off on his own.

Mia looked at the ground. "Isaac…" she said.

"What is it?" asked Isaac.

"I always knew…deep down…that you would return to us…" she said softly.

"But…I turned my back on you guys," said Isaac. "It wasn't Lucithel that made me take control of Weyard – it was my own greed."

"But what matters is that you are trying to right what you did," said Mia. "That's why I've always loved you, Isaac. You always try to fix your mistakes, no matter what the cost." She walked up to Isaac. "You are our leader, Isaac…don't forget that."

Isaac and Mia then embraced, and there they stood, not noticing the rain beating down upon them.

Garet stood off to the side, his arms crossed, holding the Mars Star. He turned to them, seeing them kissing. "Get the hell out of here," he snapped. "You make me sick."

Isaac and Mia stopped. "Garet…" said Isaac. "Aren't you coming with us? Aren't you going to help us beat Lucithel?"

"You expect me to just forgive you?" demanded Garet. "You stabbed us all in the back. You made our lives hell…do you know how I got this scar? I got it from one of those damn soldiers you sent out to make sure that everyone on Weyard was oppressed! That's how, you son of a bitch!" He spat on the ground. "I almost died on the battlefield, and it was all because of you and your lust for more! You always claimed the heroics around here! You're such a greedy bastard! We go around all over Weyard, nearly dying countless times, and we finally unleash Alchemy! And you know who takes all of the credit? You! You think that you're the only one that's trying to save the world around here! Well guess what? You're not! And you can burn in hell for all I care! Now go out and get yourself killed! Do us all a favor!"

Isaac took a deep breath. "Garet, I do not expect your forgiveness," he said. "Nor shall I ask of it. I will leave you to walk the path you choose. Farewell, old friend." Mia and Isaac then went after Ivan, Sheba, Jenna, and Piers, heading for the entrance of Lucithel's tower.

Garet watched them as they left. He then walked away, wishing for Isaac's death to come soon.