Zero-no-uta: Alex-sama? I'm guessing he's one of your favorite characters.
Ookami Kage: Thank you and glad to make your day(even if happening so much later than expected). would insert happy emicon, but it won't upload
WildfireDreams: I love the song, but I only put one verse in. I think Silver and Gold is by Vilya, but I'm not sure.
Potato Man: I pray for the well being of your internet connection. And you're good at humor too! Ok, it was mostly the little part you put in where the king randomly talks to himself. I seriously burst out laughing; it's a pity that's not actually a part of the story.
Okashira Kitsune-dono: I'm flattered really, but I think you're missing out on a lot of great fics. May I suggest the AU Nameless by Alex Glaven and Forms by The 8BTFreek?
MiraiEvo: Canadashipping, I like.
Sporks are wonderful! I'd show you the emicon here, but it won't upload. It's a number sign, an under-dash, and another number sign. It means "My eyes have been gorged out by a spork!" At least, that's how my cousin uses it.
Picard in Best Buy… Yes, that would be fun to put in… goes off on random tangent
TemplarofNi: Yes, Alex is a very cool character.
Avari, wind seer: All hail the finder of typos! I have gone back, I have edited, and if you find any more, I would be forever grateful if you were to point those out as well. Thank you.
Alexditto: So… Good angst? I'm never sure if what I write is good or not and angst is rather difficult. Do it the wrong way and the character is whining and annoying.
The 8BTFreek: chugs MRB I too live in the Acronym-happy USofA. But you know what's weird? I told a friend about that argument and within five minutes I was argued into the ground that the chicken came first; yes, I should never try out for debate team.
I have no idea what kind of a fic this is. Heck, I don't even remember what genre I put for it. I think I'll change it to general/humor or just to general.
Thank you. I wasn't sure how good the angst was; I'm feeling rather relieved right now.
End of Response Section
Previous chapters have now been edited, and let me tell you, it took a while! For those of you who don't want to go back and reread the whole thing looking for variations, I'll clue you in on a couple things:
(1) Math is no longer Math. I decided to ditch the nickname and just call him by his full name; I was thinking of renaming him Fred or Felton, but this far into the fic, such a large change would be rather weird. Anyway, when you read this chapter, I want to be aware of how many times you see the word "Matthew". Multiply that by about 20.
(2) Oliver Crest is a father. (His daughter's name is Melana.) Don't ask.
(3) The "Pops" nickname is also gone, replaced by "Doc" as it made more sense. (Don't worry; Xander's still Xander.)
(4) Sheena/Sheba and Hua/Hama are no longer in contact with each other. Therefore, Sheba and Sheena don't know about Hama's prediction.
And please, if you find spots with typos or a place where Matthew's still being refereed to as "Math" or something that just doesn't make a lot of sense, please tell me. I'll (try to) fix it. Thank you for being patient with me and I'm sorry for the long time between updates; I'm easily sidetracked and one-shots are oh so shiny.
Disclaimer: Rallalon does not own Golden Sun or any of its characters, items or locations. Nor does she own odd combinations, tapestries, airplanes, hours, or sentences. Lord Adrian Murray is the property of The 8BTFreek. Lord Aquae is the property of Yoshimi Takahashi. Calines, however, are her own creations.
………
What he was doing was all right. He wasn't trespassing… no, he was just doing some research. That's what Aquae had called it so it must be so…
Adrian Murray continued telling himself such things as he strode down the hall, his mentor's caline following on padded feet. Aquae had decided that the building looked like a lighthouse, an Elemental one by the description. And they'd have to know about those and determine which one it was before they could have a hope of carrying a plan off. After they came up with the plan, that was.
Looking up and down the hall, Adrian reached for a doorknob and gently turned it. To his surprise, the door opened. King Piers was either very trusting or he would somehow know of intruders.
This is to save his life, Adrian told himself. He wouldn't mind. He looked inside.
Wrong room.
Ten minutes later, he had retraced his footsteps and found what he believed to be the correct door. His first clue was that it was locked, but with Psynergy. Giving him the mental image of a block, it was similar to the ones used for the doors on ships to keep them from opening by accident if the waves were rough. It was similar but not the same; this one was much stronger, and complex.
Exerting as much Psynergy as he could, he struck at the Psynergy block. No success.
Again.
Nothing.
Again!
No.
Again!
No.
Again!
………
Hmm? Picard looked about. What was that?
Psynergy, perhaps, but by who? Mia/May and Alex/Xander were quite a ways behind. The Russian/Proxans were also lagging accompanied by Ian/Isaac and Gary, an odd combination all things considered. Oliver and Andrew were closer, Jen(na) and her cousin/brother behind them.
And Sheena/Sheba was wondering why he was no longer paying attention to their conversation.
Picard shook off the odd feeling. "You were saying?"
………
Panting, Adrian leaned against the wall, Aquae's caline rubbing against his leg, purring. That had been a good deal harder than it should've been. Did the king undo that and set it back up every time he wanted to go into his chambers? Insanity!
Maybe this was part of the Theory of Decrease Aquae had, that Psynergy was weakening with each generation. Perhaps in King Piers' time he had had average potential that had been trained to its limit; that alone would be proof for the theory.
But this wasn't time to be thinking about theories! This was time to be searching!
Forcing himself to relinquish the support of the wall, Adrian turned instead to the support of a lightly, but excellently gilded chair. Knowing that he could be discovered any hour, he took a quick look around a room he was fairly certain he'd never set foot in again. The blue rug was well woven and wore the design of a golden pier on shining blue waters, obviously the emblem of the king's House. The furniture in the sitting room seemed to have accumulated use only over many years, giving Adrian the impression that they were seldom used. There was a clock on the mantle, Djinn carved into the design. Built into the wall was a tall wooden bookcase, its selves filled with volumes for the first three shelves, the rest filled with many pieces of some sort of crystal. The doorway that led to another chamber had a door hanging instead of a door, giving the room a slightly foreign look. The sole tapestry was very old, depicting an event that Adrian had no knowledge of.
All in all, the sitting room could pass for that of a minor noble. But where to loo-
"Get down from there!" he yelled in a whisper.
The caline looked up from its spot on a bookshelf and refused to comply. Aquae probably let it sleep on bookshelves all the time, but the animal had gone and knocked over half a dozen of the crystals. Maybe he was just being paranoid, but he didn't want any evidence that someone had been in here.
After a moment of persuading himself to get up from the chair, he set the caline back on the floor. "Stay there."
Now… how had those crystals been arranged? They had a shape similar to a Psy Crystal, but the color and size was off. They might've been a variation made to hold something else besides Psynergy. Hoping nothing bad would happen, he tentatively reached for one.
"I'm not coming out, Lunpa," his mouth said. Lunpa? Who was Lunpa? And where was he? Adrian found he couldn't move. No, his body was moving, but he had lost control of it. It was very odd. He felt… taller. And stronger. And strangely embarrassed, but he couldn't tell what from. It seemed to be connected to the fact that there was something heavy on his head and he felt like he was nearly swimming in cloth. He wasn't sure, though.
"Come off it, Picard. It can't be that bad," someone, Lunpa, called from the sitting room.
"I'm not coming out," his mouth insisted.
"Fine, then. I'm coming in." Before he could protest, the door opened to reveal a gray-haired man with a bit too much nose. His expressive eyebrows were obviously being restrained and while he was keeping a straight face, it was with great difficulty. The energetic old man appeared to be fighting back laughter as he tried to find something supportive to say. Key word being "tried".
"I look like an idiot."
At this a smile forced its way onto Lunpa's face and the Mercury Djinn on his shoulder made a sound rather like a chortle. He shushed Tonic and replied, "No, Picard. You look like a royal idiot."
"Thank you," he said dryly. "You've been a wonderful help."
"Haven't I?" Lunpa agreed, toying with his moustache. "Because once we get the robes hemmed and such to fit you, you'll just look royal."
Picard sat down with a sigh as Adrian wracked his brain, trying to remember every Picard he had met. Which one was this? Or was it just some hallucination caused by the crystal…?
"Looking the part isn't the same as being suited for the part." That came out as a mumble, filled with the feeling of being over-whelmed.
Lunpa sat down next to him. "King Hydros thought you were the best choice. And do you know what? Even Conservito thinks so."
A king, first name Picard. Could this be…?
"Lunpa, I don't know the first thing about being king," Picard stressed.
"That's what you have an advisor, me, for. But," Lunpa continued, his expression turning serious, "I want you to make me a promise."
"What is it?"
"When your friends came to visit that long time ago, they told me that my grandson was the ruler of my town. Promise me you won't rule."
"Then wha-"
"Promise me you'll govern. I'm not just being fussy about word choice. Call me a thief or call me a liberator, but you will be a leader, not a ruler. You will know what your duties are and you will do them. You don't go back on this and you'll be as good a king as Hydros was. Promise me." The smile returned to his face, the twinkle to his eyes. "And I won't bother you about wearing the crown."
Almost immediately the heavy band of gold was off Picard's head and in his hands.
Lunpa laughed. "Can I take that as your oath?"
"On my Psynergy, on my love of my Element."
"Alright then," Lunpa said, clapping his hands together. "Now that that's out of the way, let's pay a visit to the tailor." He stood and eyed Picard. "Erm, maybe I should go and bring him here."
Picard let out a weak laugh. "Thank you." The thanks was more for the "favor" Lunpa had asked of him than the favor he was offering. It calmed him, as Lunpa had doubtlessly known it would. King Hydros had made a very good choice in Lunpa as an advisor.
Attempting to lighten the mood even further, Lunpa bowed deeply with a flourish. "King Piers, it is my honor. Besides, in his Majesty's current state of dress, he would fall flat on his face before his Majesty went half-way."
King Piers! This was King Piers! That made a great deal of sense. Well, as much sense things in this situation could make. It was his crystal and this was undoubtedly a memory of his. That meant the crystals probably stored memories instead of Psynergy, a handy thing for a long-lived Lemurian to have. Hopefully, at the end of this particular memory, he'd be let out.
"Speaking of states of dress, I wonder if there's any protocol for an Advisor."
Lunpa looked at him with an expression of mock-horror before laughing and setting off. A moment later he returned. "That is a joke, is it not?"
Adrian found himself to be staring at the shelf of crystals again. So his theory had been correct. But how much time had passed? The caline was still where he had placed it, but who knew how long it could've been sitting there; calines were rather odd creatures.
He checked the clock and it seemed only a moment had passed, not even a minute since when he had last looked at it. Well then. It looked like he had found his information source.
………
Mia was innerly fuming to the point where a Mars Adept would be jealous. She didn't know what to expect from Alex, but silence wasn't it. He should…he should say something at the very least!
'Mia…?'
'I'll be alright.' I need to calm myself. I've never held a lasting grudge in my life; doing it in death would be highly ironic.
Such a long time ago, she had been able to let it… to let Alex go… He was dead; in hating him, she would only hurt herself. It had taken her a while, but she had done it. Not forgiven him, but accepted who he had chosen to be. Accepted, not liked.
Not loved.
But he should still say something! Try to explain himself or ask for forgiveness or something! She couldn't say why she wanted him to reach out so she could lash back. Well… actually…
She wanted… revenge, plain and simple. It went completely against her character, but she wanted revenge. She had hurt… so much. It was unfair that he didn't.
Mia had always thought that vengeance was just for people like Karst. It wasn't.
'Mia?' May was concerned and worried, but most of all she was picking up on how Mia felt, just as Mia was picking up on May.
"Aren't you going to say anything?" she demanded, stopping and looking back at the man following her. She didn't know if it was possible to sound emotionless and furious at the same time, but if it was, then she had.
He looked at her, considering his words, turning Xander's face into an icy mask. Everything he did was deliberate; that was why his actions brought no much pain, making it impossible for the wounds he gave to be accidental, making them hurt so much more.
She turned away and resumed her walking, sure he'd fail to reply. Hopping along at her side, Echo started echoing music softly, presumably bored. Too softly; she couldn't make out the lyrics, meaning Echo could be trying to make some sort of a point while being too afraid to speak up.
Just as Alex was.
"Mia."
Or maybe not. She stopped and turned around to face him.
He stood straight, his posture over-riding Xander's almost permeate slouch. As well as sounding emotionless, he looked expressionless, an oddity for him. He always had an expression, anything from a glower to a smile, even just a slight tilt of his head or the tiniest raising of an eyebrow. But no; there was no expression.
"There is nothing I can say that you will accept."
………
"Now I think I know what you tried to say to me,
How you suffered for your sanity,
How you tried to set them free.
They would not listen, they're not listening still.
Perhaps they never will."
A nice song, Echo thought. And rather fitting. Creepishly so. The Djinni could still remember a night at the inn in Alhafra, after he had helped three of his favorite Adepts defeat Briggs and his crew.
Alex had approved. He had been reminded of Mia and had sounded nearly… sorrowful. No, not nearly. He had been.
He wondered what the odds were that Xander would let him poke around in his head. A peek in Alex's mind could prove to be very interesting.
May cast him a glance, most likely wondering what the reason for the background music was. Ok, fine, not much would actually be accomplished by him just playing a song so softly that it could barely be heard, but it might do something on an unconscious level. Truth be told, if something besides annoyance came of this, he'd be surprised.
The Djinni got an idea. Just because it wasn't likely didn't mean that he couldn't try. Oh, tonight would be fun!
It took great restraint, but Echo refrained from humming "Match-maker, Match-maker."
………
"You'll be alright. I'll get there a little over an hour and a half after you," Mr. Hame recited for the umpteenth time, more for his own comfort than Evan's. "Don't leave until I get there."
When they had picked out the tickets, it had quickly become clear: go the last leg separately or wait a year. Evan had made it clear what he thought of the second option. Still, his father must've really felt guilty for all the moves; there was only a very small chance that they'd be going otherwise. But it wasn't as if this was Evan's first time on a plane without his dad.
Evan nodded in the appropriate spots, clamping his jaws shut in defense against yawns. Oh, time zones; what fun!
The call for passengers to get onboard sounded. "Bye, Dad!" Evan said, slinging his backpack over a shoulder. His father looked like he wanted to say something else, nervously toying with his moustache, but ended up giving him a simple, "See you in a few hours."
Just a few hours. As in nine or so. Enough time to get a full night's rest, he thought, glad to have the ability of sleeping in a chair that was "in the full up-right position".
With one last glance over his shoulder, Evan walked through the gate, a nervous grin appearing on his face. In just a few hours, he'd meet his sister.
………
"Doesn't anyone else find this odd?" Ian asked, looking at the three river-like flows of sand.
Yeah, thought Gary. Why'd it take you so long to realize it? Exhausted from nerves, Gary was no longer feeling up to making comments out loud. Being ignored and dragged along wasn't what he thought he'd be doing but someone had to keep tabs on them.
"In the first room with the sand, I thought it was a fluke that the sand was still going there, but here…"
"I thought it was odd," Satornil commented, his ears twitching in a way human ears shouldn't. "When we came we had to run all around this place to get every set up so we could get through." Makrina nodded in agreement.
"That doesn't make sense…" Ian mumbled to himself.
None of this does.
The Russians glared at Ian.
"Uh, no, Isaac didn't mean that…" Ian hurriedly clarified, if it could be called clarifying. "It's just that he and the others had to do the same thing. And if you had already gotten the sand flows going, why did he have to too? And why not now?"
"Hey, guys! Want us to leave you behind?" shouted Math who had already gotten to the stairs along with the Lemurians, Jen, and Sheena. Or was her name Sheba? They seemed to be calling her both.
Yet another "possessed" person, most likely.
"Coming!"
A staircase, a hallway and another staircase later, the group found themselves in a room with the tree mosaic and a hole. This hole was different; it had a slide as though a person was expected to jump down. Who'd be nuts enough to do that?
"Me first!" Jen cried and slid down.
"Jen!" Gary made to dash forward, but a hand clamped down on his out-stretched arm.
"Calm down, Gary," Matthew told him as Crade jumped down. "She's alright."
All of his pent up fear and frustration came out. "You're insane! All of you! Magic isn't real!" The "teleporting" could be explained somehow, he just knew it! "That guy can't be thousands of years old!"
He continued on for a while before he ran out of breath. His outburst left him emotionally drained and gave him a sore throat. "It's just not possible," he croaked out.
With the Russians, Sheena, Crade, and Jen gone, it was up to Ian, Matthew and the Lemurians to try to argue with him. Though Matthew looked like he was about to, he released his grip on Gary's arm and spoke calmly instead, rather unlike himself. "Gary, it's alright. It doesn't have to make sense--"
"Yes, it--"
"No, it doesn't."
Gary could tell he was getting on Matthew's nerves. And so, like a child, he replied: "Yes it does."
Matthew's mouth worked and Ian took over. "Gar- Uh, Gary, does this room look familiar to you?"
"Yeah. All the last few rooms have had mosaics, too."
"Something else? Is this particular room familiar? Any of these rooms?"
Yeah, sort— No. No, they weren't. Not at all. Still, he couldn't help feeling that if he were to look over the edge of the hole, he'd see a floating thing of white-blue-green rock. He peeked.
And something slammed into his back, sending him over the side and down.
He landed heavily on the floating stepping-stone and flecks of blue light surrounded him, moving up. The stepping stone began to rise. Looking up, Gary saw a brown little creature and heard his cousin yell "Echo! You shouldn't--"
Gary never heard her finish her sentence; the next thing he knew, he was somehow outside and still rising. The wind whipped passed his face and the stone continued its assent. He frantically searched for something to hold onto and found nothing. Oddly, he felt no fear of falling off; he felt that if he were to get off it, it would be of his own choosing. Nonetheless, his heartbeat thundered in his ears.
He could see the top of the Lighthouse come into sight, far above and then closer. The stone drifted over the forest green platform of the elevator tower and he jumped off -
- following Isaac's lead. The four had barely gotten down when a familiar voice reached their ears.
"At long last, the time has come to light Venus Lighthouse's beacon."
The party turned to look at where a certain colorful pair stood. Garet blinked. They had Sheba with them! This was too good to be true; they could stop Saturos and Menardi and rescue Sheba all in one go!
"With the second beacon lit, only two will remain," Saturos added.
They watched and waited as Menardi shook her head. "No. Lighting Jupiter is virtually the same as lighting Mars."
Saturos seemed to consider this. "That is true. Jupiter is really all that remains."
What?! It doesn't matter that we have the Mars Star? That's it; we have to stop them now! Garet made to move, but Ivan stopped him with a touch on his arm.
'Wait. We don't know where Jenna and Kraden are. If we listen, they might reveal something.'
'Fine,' Garet thought back with a mental sigh. Still, he was slightly relieved to have the battle postponed, even just this small amount. But only slightly. It wasn't like he was afraid of the pair or anything.
"That's right," added a new voice, one Garet had half-forgotten and only recently remembered. "Your dreams are within your grasp now."
Saturos and Menardi turned around to face Felix as he climbed up the stairs. "Why are you still here, Felix?" Saturos asked.
"I thought I ordered you on ahead to the ship," Menardi said.
Felix nodded, almost apologetically "I've already sent Jenna and the others to the dock at Idejima."
'Idejima, Ivan!'
Ivan shook his head. 'Wait a little longer . . .'
'Why?' Garet asked before he felt the younger Adept's need to steel himself. 'Alright.'
"Then why did you come back?" Saturos inquired, clearly puzzled.
"Because I have a different promise to keep," Felix explained.
Menardi looked puzzled as well. "A promise you say? You must mean Sheba . . ."
"Yes, Sheba," Felix said as if it should be obvious. "Why haven't you released her yet? You promised to free her once you got into Venus Lighthouse."
Menardi smiled, perhaps from relief, perhaps from amusement. "And that's what brought you back here?"
"You promised not to involve anyone who wasn't related to this matter." Felix was sounding irritated.
Saturos looked to Sheba and, almost sadly, shook his head. "Sheba is special."
"Of course . . ." Felix said softly.
Saturos turned back to him, his ears moving.
"Because Sheba is a special Adept?" Felix let out in a rush.
Both of the Mars Adepts paused, as if this wasn't what they thought he would say.
"You guys learned something from the first two Lighthouses," Felix continued.
"And what would that be?" Menardi asked as the wind changed direction and blew at Garet's back and towards the four around the beacon.
"In order to enter each Lighthouse, you needed an Adept of the clan." Both Saturos and Menardi gave a slight jump, but Felix paid it no heed. "Right now, we have Fire, Earth, and Water Adepts, but no Wind Adept."
"That does seem to be the case," Saturos admitted.
"Do we need Sheba to get into the Jupiter Lighthouse?"
"I'm sorry Felix," Menardi apologized, "but we cannot even enter without a Wind Adept."
"That being the case, I guess I understand why you can't set Sheba free."
Saturos nodded. "It seems that you, too, have learned something. If that is all then you should go, Felix!" His last words seemed to hold a note of urgency.
Garet had the oddest feeling that the pair knew his party was there. No, they couldn't; they hadn't so much as looked in their direction.
Felix shook his head. "No. I cannot leave Sheba behind!" Felix stepped in front of said girl. "I'm taking Sheba to the ship!"
"What are you talking about, Felix?" Menardi asked incredulously.
"We don't know what will happen when you light this beacon. I won't leave Sheba here to find out!"
"We told you that we'd protect Sheba. Don't you trust us?" Had the blue man been anyone else, Garet would've said he sounded hurt.
"That's not what I'm saying . . . It's just best to be safe."
"Don't tell us what's best, Felix. You're not taking Sheba."
"Why not?" Felix asked Menardi. "What? You don't trust me?"
"How can we, after you just demanded we free Sheba?"
"Had we trusted you a moment ago, Sheba would be free now," Menardi added.
With each word, Felix's face grew more and more incredulous. Finally, he angrily turned to Sheba. "Come with me, Sheba! I shall protect you!"
To this Sheba had no reply and Saturos responded instead. "Are you ready to do this, even though it means fighting us?"
Felix quickly turned around, his expression disbelieving and frightened.
". . . I believe he is! He would not have defied us if he lacked the will to fight."
Though he still looked confused, Felix's expression grew determined. "If it means protecting Sheba from harm, then I must."
His determination turned into panic with Saturos' next words. "You have seen what we can do. You know you can't stop us."
"How can you protect Sheba when you can't even protect yourself?"
"This rebellious attitude is exactly why we've never let you fight."
"Haven't you been given enough reason to fear us in these travels?"
Garet saw Felix took a step back at this. It seemed there were enough reasons for fear.
"You're no fighter, Felix. How can you hope to stand against us?"
"You've questioned us for the last time! Let's see what you can do!" Menardi declared.
"It looks like they're having a falling out over Sheba," Garet commented to the others
"There's something more to it, though . . ." Mia muttered.
Ivan nodded. "It seems Saturos and Menardi no longer trust Felix."
And if they didn't trust each other . . . "Looks like the prefect opportunity has just fallen into our laps! Now's our only chance to prevent them from lighting the beacon."
Isaac nodded.
"There's not a moment to spare! Let's move!" Before they actually do kill Felix!
A quick three hops and two purple-tinted staircases later, the foursome stood behind Saturos.
Felix jumped. "Isaac . . ."
"So! You've come to stop us?" Garet had a feeling Saturos didn't expect an answer.
"Look what your defiance has brought us, Felix!" Menardi said, her ears moving rapidly.
Felix blinked as if he had just realized something and yelled, "I don't need you or anyone to rescue me, Isaac! I was just about to settle things with Saturos and Menardi . . . You can watch!" He turned to the beacon, glancing at Menardi. "And then we'll show you the true power of this beacon's light! But . . . Sheba has nothing to do with this! So set Sheba free!"
Saturos spun about to face him. "Silence! You'd best tread lightly, Felix, or both you and Sheba with suffer!"
At this Mia panicked. "If anything happens to Sheba, we will have failed Faran . . ."
Next to her, Ivan declared, "We won't permit you to lay a hand on Sheba or Felix!"
"Oh ho!" Menardi turned around, a victorious look on her face. "So you're worried about Sheba, too?"
Saturos turned around as well, a sly grin creeping across his face. "Don't worry. We won't hurt Sheba . . . if you meet our conditions."
Garet suddenly had the feeling this had been planned, despite how Menardi said, "What are you doing –
- Gary?" Makrina asked.
Gary stumbled back from the two Russians, his heart in his throat, his hand instinctually reaching toward his belt . . .
He shook his head. What was he thinking? He didn't even wear a belt!
Before he could focus himself, words he had no intention of saying issued forth from his mouth. "You- you two are dead!"
"Now he gets it," Satornil said. No, that was Saturos. But why would Saturos, a dead person, be calmly talking to him, one of his killers?
"What in the name of the Elements is going on?"
………
Alex hung back from the others, trying to avoid attention as much as possible. What that Venus Djinni had done had stirred things up slightly, but he for one thought it a good idea. The way that idiot had been acting, there was no other way to get him to go. Why they were all going to the Aerie escaped him; all they need was one person up there.
"Xander, are you well now?"
Alex turned to face Picard, a mix of fury and distaste welling up inside of him. You take my place and you lie about me. Now you ask, quite pointedly, for the condition of my other and only my other. Before he had a chance to say this, May/Mia stepped in.
"No, he's still gone. Alex is back, though."
"Perhaps if we were to go far enough away from the Lighthouse, he'd return."
"I hope so, Picard." May's voice betrayed her fear.
Stifling his impulse to comfort the distraught girl, Alex went to the edge of the hole he'd be jumping down momentarily. "Shouldn't we regroup with the others?" All three Lemurians and Mia turned to look/glare at him. "I have the feeling that we might find something about Xander's disappearance up there." This was met only by silence. "I am the closest thing you have to a Xander-detector, am I not?"
Not waiting for a reply, he jumped down.
He'd never been to the top of this Lighthouse. The mere thought sent a shiver down his spine. A new place . . . Maybe, he allowed himself to hope. Maybe.
All such thoughts were squished as he reached the top. It was rather like Mercury Lighthouse, only a different color and the statues were holding branches. A pity . . . But then, wasn't everything?
"Hey, Xander! Took you long enough!"
That boy Matthew seemed to have bonded with Alex's incarnation despite the warnings Felix had to be giving. He was reminded of how Felix had quickly trusted him; it seemed certain personality traits didn't fade.
Alex shook his head. "Xander hasn't returned yet."
Matthew's face darkened, Felix taking over. "Do you know why?"
Once again, he shook his head. Looking around, he noticed Ian and Gary talking, Gary sometimes shouting or talking loudly. The Proxans were on the stairs with Sheba, well away from the beacon and the sides of the Lighthouse. Dr. Crade inspected a statue close by. A quick glance back to Felix proved the Venus Adept was continuing to stare at him, observing his mannerisms in hopes to find out if he were lying. Felix gave up, and Matthew returned. "It looks like Garet's come back; Isaac's filling him in."
A cold nod.
Before the boy could give another attempt at conversation, the other Water Adepts began arriving, Mia first, followed by Andrew, Picard and Oliver, in that order.
Echo flew over and perched himself on Matthew's shoulder. "Let's fire it up!" it exclaimed, receiving a few nods of agreement.
Soon enough, the entire party was assembled before the beacon(, though a certain pair keeping a respectable distance). The lighting was always and would always be an impressive event. The great display of light, the awe it inspired, the rush of Psynergy through an Adept's very core of being; that was an event even Alex could appreciate.
"Everyone grab onto something," Jenna said half-jokingly as the Venus Adepts were about to do the honors.
Matthew rolled his eyes and Felix ignored her, saying, "Ready, Isaac?"
"Ready. On three."
"Three!"
Alex had to shield his eyes with his arm against the blinding light. The Psynergy, however, would not allow itself to be blocked out. He was trickling down stone, wearing a hole in it. He was sinking through sand, sucked up the roots of a plant.
Through closed lids, it was clear the light had died down, though it still glowed brightly. He opened his eyes and gazed upon the physical form of Venus Psynergy. Not as amazing as that of Mercury of course, but it was still--
'Alex!'
"Xander!" he exclaimed, speaking aloud in his shock and looking about as if he'd see him. Mentally, he asked, 'Xander, are you there?'
No reply.
'Xander?'
The other's looked at him questioningly. "Has he come back?" May asked hopefully.
Unsure, Alex shrugged and continued looking about. As his gaze swept over the sphere of Psynergy, Xander's mental voice once again rang in his head. 'Alex, stop!'
'Stop what?'
'Looking around. Keep your, uh, my eyes on the ball. Don't even blink unless you have to.' This commanding tone ill-suited Xander's personality.
'Why?'
'It's letting us talk.'
'What's "it"? The sphere?'
Xander sent him the answer in a flurry of mental images and recent memories. 'Now there's something I need you to tell Picard. So listen very, very carefully.'