Where there's light...
Disclaimer: I do not own Golden Sun or any of the characters, I just like the games.
Onto chapter 4! I'm up earlier than I thought due to a lack of homework, so good! Read and review, flames bad, constructive criticism good, etc. I really have nothing to say this time, so on to the fourth chapter! (PS, pardons for the typo in naming chapter 3, I have problems with the word revelation.)
Chapter four: The First Encounter
And so Ivan, Isaac, Garet, and Jenna set out on the first leg of their journey: re-recruiting the Djinn. Fortunately, the Djinn had decided to stay in the ruins of Sol Sanctum and Mount Alef, so it wasn't too hard to find them.
"Oh! Another adventure you say?" said the first Djinn they found, Geode. "What for?"
So they explained the problem to the Venus Djinn, who was very troubled by the news. "Something's using our energy for evil? Impossible! I feel fit as a flea and not drained at all!"
"That's because this new enemy is feeding off the dark energy released from when you fought with us," explained Ivan. "Although you used your power for good, negative energy was still produced. Therefore, we need your power to help us vanquish this new evil."
The Djinn thought about it for a while then said "But if you use our power at all, won't that create more dark energy."
"No! Because..." Jenna faltered. "Damnit! He's right!" she then exclaimed. Isaac had an idea though. "Then we won't summon you often; just when we need you. Otherwise you can just add your power to us."
The Djinn though some more. "Well, that's a grand idea to me! I'll ask the others!" and away Geode went.
"You think they'll come?" asked Garet.
"If they're the same Djinn they used to be, they won't turn down an adventure." Isaac said confidently.
A few minutes later the ground was suddenly alive with all 72 Djinn. One, Flint, their leader, stepped forward.
"Ah, Adepts! It is good to see you after all these years! But as you explained to our comrade, the circumstances that we meet under are grave indeed. Therefore, once again we grant our power to you!"
And with that the Djinn jumped on their Adept companions once more. The familiar rush of power that accompanied it was greatly appreciated by the four people.
The Mercury Djinn were disappointed though. "No Mia or Picard? We want our adepts!"
"No worries, our first stop is Imil. Mia and Sheba are there now, aren't they?" Garet asked Ivan.
"Last I heard, yeah. But what about Felix and Picard?"
"They're in Lemuria, unfortunately. We'll deal with that later." Responded Isaac.
With Djinn once again in tow, Isaac, Garet and Jenna now faced the task of telling the townspeople that they were leaving again.
"What? You're leaving again?! Why, Isaac? What's happening?" Dora asked Isaac fretfully.
"It is quite sudden, son. I mean, you've only been home two years, and with your wedding just three months away..." said Kyle.
"Jenna's going too, mom and dad, and it's because of...well, let's say my time with the Elemental Stars wasn't quite finished.
"But, you were gone so long! No Isaac, you can't go! I won't let you...go...oh Isaac!" Dora burst into tears, with Kyle sadly trying to comfort her.
"...I have to, mom. I have to." Isaac started.
"But you'll be gone again, what if you don't come back? I'd lost you once, I can't lose you again!" Dora sobbed.
"Hush, honey. Isaac's a man now, he knows what he has to do." Said Kyle.
"'sniff' I know. But...I just can't leave him, not after everything that's happened."
"I'll be fine, mom. I promise you, I will come back. I promised you before, didn't I?" Isaac said.
"Yes, you're right," Dora sniffled a bit. "Please, Isaac, come home when you're done."
"Good luck, son." Was all Kyle said. Isaac nodded, then headed back to his house to get his weapon.
After about an hour, Ivan, Isaac, Jenna and Garet reassembled at the town plaza. "I got some weapons for you, Jenna and Garet. I know they're not as good as you're old stuff, but they'll do until we get to Imil." Ivan said as he gave Jenna a wooden staff and Garet a broad-axe.
"Well, our goodbyes have been said. Shall we?" said Isaac.
The group nodded and set off.
They traveled quickly, fighting off monsters as they went. "Damn, Ivan. You weren't kidding about the tougher monsters." Panted Garet as he sliced a troll's head off.
"They're so many of them!" Jenna yelled, casting Dragon Fume at an unfortunate Ice Dragon.
"Just get through them! We're almost to the cave!" Isaac commanded. They burst through the last monsters before ducking inside the cave that led to Imil.
After a short and relaxing trip through the cave, the icy tundra that led to Imil opened up in front of them.
"Whoa! There's Mercury Lighthouse!" Cried Garet. They all looked, with many oohs and aahs at the majestic sight of the ivory lighthouse with the glowing blue light shining at the top. "Come on! Imil just a little further!" said Isaac. They carried on to the little town where two of there friends lived.
The purifying power of Mercury Lighthouse had left the path to Imil monsterless and peaceful. In just about two hours they'd made it.
Imil looked as quaint as ever, with the same old snow-covered houses tucked into the landscape all nice and quiet. "Where do you think Sheba and Mia are?" asked Jenna.
"Probably at the sanctum. Let's go!" said Ivan. They set off across the frozen river shortcut that led to the sanctum of Imil.
They opened the solid wood doors quietly as they entered the sacred halls. At the end of the path was the priest of the sanctum. "Welcome, travelers. What aid do you need?"
"Um...we're looking for Mia and Sheba. Have you seen them?" asked Isaac.
"Yeah, and could we get some food too?" asked Garet rudely. Jenna elbowed him to shut him up.
"Ah yes. Mia and Sheba. Hmmmmmmmm..." the old man thought. "Jared?"
"Yes?" replied a teenage boy washing the pews.
"Where are Sheba and Mia right now?"
"Oh, they'd be at the inn. The innkeeper's wife is pregnant and in labor, so they should be assisting with the delivery."
"Oh yes! I was supposed to bless the child today!" The priest looked at the four travelers oddly. "Oh! Welcome, travelers! How may I aid you?" he asked. The four sweatdropped at the man's bad memory.
They left the sanctum and returned to the inn, where a young man was watching the front desk. "Oh! Travelers! Sorry, the master's wife is in labor with child, so you may have to wait awhile before you can get a room."
"No problem, we're friends of some of the people up there." Said Garet. They hurried up the stairs.
"Ok, Mrs. Gregson! I see the head! Give a push!" the four heard Mia's voice say in one of the rooms.
"AAAAARRGGGGGHHHH! NNNNNGGHHHHH!" screamed what could only be the innkeeper's wife.
"Careful now, take a deep breath, then PUSH!" said Mia calmly.
"HHUUUUUUUUNNNNNNNNNNNN!!!" "hic, hic, WWWAAAHH!" cried the sound of a newborn baby. Ivan, Isaac, Garet, and Jenna burst into the room just as Mia was wrapping the newborn in a blanket while Sheba toweled off the exhausted mother.
"Mia! Sheba!" said Isaac.
Mia and Sheba looked up quizzically, then Mia's smile broadened.
"Oh my goodness! ISAAC! GARET! JENNA! IVAN!" Mia gave the baby to the mother then rushed up to hug her old friends.
"Hmm. So you all came to visit, huh?" said Sheba a bit more somberly. Sheba, like Ivan, had grown a lot, but was still shorter than the others. Mia hadn't changed a bit, except now she seemed to glow with a power unknown to the others.
"Mia, why're you, well, glowing?" asked Garet.
"Oh, that's just the power of Mercury Lighthouse energizing my psynergy. But let's go someplace better to talk, we have a lot of catching up to do." Replied Mia.
"Yeah, but your not going to like our news," said Ivan sadly.
They went to the sanctum, which was Mia and Sheba's home. There Ivan and Isaac told the tale of why they were here, with Jenna and Garet throwing in their two cents now and then.
"So, our quest had been pointless? Weyard will die after-all?" asked Sheba.
"No, the quest wasn't pointless. This is a different problem altogether." Replied Ivan.
"And the Djinn are a factor?"
The Djinn took this opportunity to defend themselves. "It's not by our consent! This evil being is sapping our power without us knowing, but mostly feeding off the energy given off when we were summoned by you!" said Breeze. "And because of this, we cannot be summoned often, but we will do what we can." Said Char. "By the way, good to see a Mercury Adept again, Mia!" said Dew.
Mia thought for a moment, then said "Well, we know we have to stop this new evil, but where can we start? We have no idea where to encounter this dark creature."
Isaac readily replied "Kraden said that the evil seeks out energy, so it may come to this lighthouse. From there we may get more information. After that, we need to get to Lemuria to get Felix and Picard back."
Garet put in "So, you two gonna come with us?"
Sheba and Mia looked at each other, then nodded.
"Come on, it's getting late. Let's go to bed." Said Sheba. They all agreed and turned in for the night.
However, just before dawn, a great explosion rocked the sanctum. Ivan sprang out of bed and started yelling "There's a monster here! Get ready!" He then dashed outside. 'If this is another attack, I won't let another person suffer! I'm ready now!' he thought. Sure enough, five giant Ice Demons were crushing houses. People screamed as their homes were smashed into the snow.
"Spark Plasma!" yelled Ivan. The energy bolts flew down from the heavens and struck a demon, killing it.
Just then the others came out of the sanctum. "Oh shit! Their huge!" yelled Garet.
"Don't worry about that, just kill them!" yelled back Isaac. He dived at another demon as his sword let out a howl. "Titan's Blade!" he yelled as a huge sword pierced the demon, killing it.
The battle raged on for a while before the last demon died. Just as it fell, however, a bolt of black lightning shot towards Mercury Lighthouse.
"That must be some dark energy! Let's go!" cried Garet. They immediately headed for Mercury Lighthouse.
In about ten minutes, they were there. The Fountain of Hermes flowed with healing water, which the group used to heal their wounds. But otherwise, they saw no dark energy or felt any evil.
"Let's climb to the aerie; maybe it's near the Elemental Star." Suggested Sheba. They got on the now active elevator to the aerie.
Once at the top, they still saw nothing until...
"Watch out!" screamed Jenna as a dark mass launched itself at the party. Everyone dodged except Garet, who took the mass head-on.
"SSSKKKZZZZZAAAARRGGHHH!!" screamed Garet as he was electrocuted by the dark mass. He fell to his knees, gasping for air as Mia ran to help him.
The mass went in front of the Elemental Star, then spoke.
"So, you mortals know the Prophesy handed down by the Evil One. His power is growing, as is mine. Know the power of our God!" The dark mass then started taking a shape.
First, four legs shot out, standing it up. Four arms appeared, then a head. The head was spiked, with electricity coursing between the spikes. A shell appeared on the back, but the whole creature was black, with red dotes dancing all over it. Two red eyes that looked like the eyes of Death stared at the party.
"I may not have my true form yet, but I have power enough to kill you all! Then I will sap your life force to give to our God!" The demon screeched. It then fired a barrage of electricity at Ivan, Jenna, and Isaac, who barely dodged in time. Mia succeeded in healing Garet, who got ready for an attack.
But Sheba took the initiative. "Raaugh!" she cried as she swung her mace at the creature. It dodged out of the way and tried to grab her, but she was too quick for it.
Then Isaac attacked. His hit connected, unfortunately. Electricity coursed from the demon, to Isaac's sword, to Isaac. The blow knocked him unconscious.
"Ah! Isaac!" Jenna cried and ran to him. But the creature fired another round of bolts, which hit her and knocked her out, as well.
"Damnit! Two down!" cursed Garet. "Sheba, Ivan, Mia! Don't touch it! It'll shock you!" He then dodged another round of shots.
Ivan dodged shot after shot, trying to think of a plan. 'It conducts electricity when you hit it, maybe psynergy?' he thought. He cast Typhoon as a trial hit. "Ha! Stupid human! Your energy just beefs me up!" The demon cried. Ivan watched horrified as the demon expanded. The electricity fired faster and larger now, and it was even more difficult to dodge.
"AAAAUUUGGGH!" Sheba cried out as a barrage of bolts hit her. They threw her back against the lighthouse wall, knocking her out cold.
"SHIT! What the hell do we do?!" Yelled Garet. Ivan kept thinking.
'Only three of us left, and Mia's no help because her water psynergy would just conduct the electricity. What stops lightning?' he thought. Then the answer came! 'The Earth! Lightning stops at the ground! Maybe...' "Mia! Get to Isaac and revive him, we need his Venus psynergy!" Ivan yelled. He and Garet covered her while she rushed to Isaac.
"Djinn, we need some help now! Flash, I summon you!" Garet yelled. Flash leaped out and summoned a barrier. The lightning crackled against the red aura that surrounded the heroes.
"The power's too strong! I can't hold it too much longer!" said Flash. Mia cast Pure Ply on Isaac, which woke him up.
"Isaac! Quickly, cast Grand Gaia at the ground under the demon's feet!" said Ivan.
"Huh? But..." started Isaac.
"Don't argue! JUST DO IT!" yelled Ivan. Isaac summoned his strength and cast the ultimate Venus spell. The ground cracked and shattered under the demons feet, and rock and soil spewed up. "That can't stop me!" the demon cackled and tried to fire more electricity, but the energy shorted out. "What?!" The demon cried.
"The earth is stopping your energy, demon! Soon, it will smother you completely!" yelled Ivan triumphantly.
"NNNNOOOOOO!" the demon screamed before being buried completely in the earth's fury. The chasm closed up and the demon was no more.
Later, back in Imil, the party rested and healed before setting out again.
"Geez, that was tough! How many more will we have to face?" said Garet.
"Who knows, who knows." Said Ivan.
"Where to now, Isaac?" asked Mia.
"...South. We need to get to Lemuria. If this is just one demon, we're gonna need Picard and Felix more than ever."
Man! That was long. Kinda a weak ending I know, but I had to stop! Read and Review, and thanks for sticking around! Chapter five up whenever. See ya!