I turned to look at him, trying not to remember how much he had betrayed our clan, trying not to remember how he betrayed me. He stood there, not a yard from me, his blue hair blowing gently in the ever-present breeze that blew through Jupiter Lighthouse.
"What is it, Alex?" I asked, searching his eyes for any chance that there could be some good left in him. But his eyes—those eyes that always seemed to look right through me—remained unchanged.
He took a step towards me. "Mia… I wanted to talk to you. You know, before things escalated."
"What's there to talk about, Alex? I don't think I have anything more to say to you."
"I felt you'd say that," Alex murmured, nodding. "Mia, I can't help thinking that, had circumstances been different, that you and I…"
I had a dreadful feeling that I knew where this was heading, so I cut him off by snapping, "That we what, Alex? That you and I would be dating? Is that what it is?"
Alex straightened up a bit and replied, "I am sorry if I appeared to be saying too much too soon. Accept my apologies. It's just that," a small smile appeared on his face, "I seem to have had you on my mind as of late."
I was both appalled at the audacity of this revelation, and slightly moved at realizing that Alex could have thoughts of anything but his own desires. But then I came to my senses, and realized that Alex was probably using this as a trick, a trick that I wouldn't fall for.
"You don't believe me?" Alex asked, reading my facial expression like only he could, "Do you really believe that all I care about is myself?"
"Well it's kind of hard not to get that impression," I said.
Alex shook his head. "Your words wound me so… it hurts even more after I've been thinking about you almost nonstop through this whole ordeal."
I was taken aback by his statement. Alex was never one to express his personal feelings or thoughts, and I wasn't quite sure how to respond. So, once again taking the stance that he was using me, I rolled my eyes and said, "Yeah, whatever."
"Mia," he said in a very different tone of voice. He had moved towards me and gently taken my hand. "Look at me," he implored me. "Look into my eyes. I would never lie about something like this."
I was compelled to yank my hand from his grip, but his touch was soft, his skin was smooth, and so I let him hold it, if for no other reason than I wanted to hear what he had to say.
"Listen to me," he said, his tone changing again, almost becoming a plea, "It doesn't have to be this way. We don't have to be enemies."
"But you're helping our enemies, Alex," I said. "You traveled with Saturos and Menardi to light the beacons. That's what Isaac, Garet, Ivan and I are trying to prevent."
"But I am not on the enemy 'side' per se," he said. "I have my own goals."
"And what are those goals, Alex?" I asked, still looking into his eyes.
Alex looked about him, then leaned and whispered in my ear. "Think of it, Mia. You and I could have unlimited strength. Unlimited power. We alone would control the very essence of Alchemy!"
I closed my eyes as he spoke to me, half afraid of him at that moment, for he sounded almost exactly like the evil tyrants in the old legends.
"Come with me, Mia," he continued, his other hand coming to rest on top of mine. "I promise I can make all your dreams come true."
I stepped back a small bit so I could look upon his face, and with a solemn expression I said, "Alex, my dreams are of a happy world, where there is peace, and nobody who holds the same ideals as you just told me." I pulled my hand away and stepped back again.
"But think of what we could accomplish!" Alex said, a touch of mania coming into his voice.
I shook my head. "I'm sorry Alex. I have to follow Isaac and help him with his quest."
I turned towards the door, but as I started walking, Alex grabbed my arm and pulled me into an embrace. I was so startled by this that I threw my arms around him unknowingly. He gazed into my eyes for several moments, and held me, not tightly like one who means to inflict his will, but gently, almost too gently.
"Mia…" he said, almost in a begging voice. "Don't leave me! Please. I will do anything for you. If you leave now, I will regret it forever."
After a long moment, I reached up and brushed the back of my hand on his cheek, which was smooth as silk. I leaned in and kissed him lightly, brushing our lips together.
"Forgive me, Alex," I said softly, stepping back. "It's too late." And without another word, I turned and walked towards the exit.
When I was only a few feet from the door, Alex spoke again, not in the kind tones in which he had just begged me for my love, but in the evil, menacing tone I had known him to use.
"So… It's got to be that way, does it? You would just leave me here to dwell on my ill-fated feelings, you little bitch?"
I whirled around to face him, but didn't have time to react as a surging jet of water slammed into my chest and knocked me against the lighthouse wall. Pain shot through my body, and I fell to the floor.
"I should have guessed," Alex sneered, stalking over to me. "Being on the 'good' side has clouded your pathetic little mind." The puddle near me formed into a hand of ice, which slapped my face hard, sending me a foot in the opposite direction.
"Alex," I moaned, my vision cloudy, pain surging through me, "Please stop… please…"
"Oh, so now I should honor your requests?" he snapped, walking over to me again. "I think not." He sent another blast of water right at my head, and at that point I felt that I would go unconscious any moment. I just wanted the pain to end, to be over… I was vaguely aware that I was sobbing, while Alex stood proud above me, smirking.
"I'll give you one last chance," he said, and he held out his hands and a huge ball of energy formed in between them. "I will count to three. Tell me what I want to hear."
"Alex… please don't…"
"One…."
I closed my eyes tightly.
"Two…"
I prepared for the end.
Suddenly, a horribly welcome voice shouted out, "Hey! What the hell do you think you're doing?"
"Stand down, fool," Alex shot back.
"No!" said the voice, and the next thing I knew, Alex had been tackled and thrown to the ground. I remember seeing a tall, muscular, red-haired young man kick him while he was down, several times, and landing punch after punch upon the wretched Water Adept.
"Garet…" I choked. "Don't… that's enough…"
"What's going on here?" Said another familiar voice: Isaac's. I looked up to see him and Ivan rushing to where Garet was pummeling Alex. "Hey, back it up, Garet, you've made your point." He gently pulled Garet off of Alex.
"Did you see what that asshole did to Mia?" Garet roared. "Let's kill him now!"
"Mia…" Isaac said, kneeling down beside me. "Are you hurt?"
I nodded, tears slipping from my eyes.
"Here…" He placed his hands over me and cast Potent Cure. This caused the pain to lessen somewhat. "Can you stand?"
"I… think so…" I said, and I unsteadily got to my feet, supported on both sides by Garet and Isaac.
"What happened here?" Ivan asked.
I shook my head and wiped the remaining tears from my eyes. "I don't want to talk about it. Ever."
"Are you sure?"
I nodded. "Yes. Let's just hurry and find Felix."
"What about Alex?" Ivan asked.
"Leave him," Isaac said with a snort.
My dear friends nodded, and together we continued on into Jupiter Lighthouse.
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Alex lay on the cold floor, fuming at his failure, when he heard a more welcome voice address him. "Alex? What happened to you?"
"Karst…" Alex moaned. "It's… a long story."
"I'm quite surprised," said the voice of Agatio, "That you would allow yourself to get into a state like this."
"Karst, would you lend me a Cool Aura?" Alex asked softly. Karst consented, and Alex stood up and dusted himself off.
"What happened?" Karst asked again.
Alex looked about him, then said simply, "I did something I shouldn't have."
"Who attacked you? Was it Isaac and his gang?" Agatio asked.
Alex nodded.
"Well why didn't you fight back? You're plenty stronger than they are!"
"I…chose not to." Alex said. "I don't want to talk about it anymore."
"Fine," Karst said. "Where did Isaac go?"
"He went out that door," Alex said, pointing. "You can probably trap them using the collapsible bridge, if you hurry."
"Excellent," Agatio said. He and Karst ran towards the door, then turned back and said, "Well? Aren't you coming?"
"I'll be along shortly," Alex said, looking left and right briefly.
"Don't let us down," Karst said warningly. Then she and Agatio, quietly exited the room.