Sorry, really. I've had this done for the longest time, but it needed editing and I just now found the time to post it. My other Golden Sun oneshots take up so much writing time. I think I have about five going right now. Suggestions always welcome, but you could try to write it first. I love to see an idea and where it goes when two or moredifferent people run with it.
Enough chat, to the real reason you'r here. The story.
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"Go on, get to the boat and wait for us there. Alex already escorted your sister and the old coot down there." Menardi sounded peevish today, dangerously more so than usual. Felix thought it strange that they wouldn't wish him here to see Venus lighthouse lit.
He obeyed anyway and went down the flight of stairs into the room where the energy barrier awaited. He pushed the statue aside and moved over to the next flight of stairs, but paused there. Why was he obeying them anyway? They threatened his sister, his old friends; even this new girl-child couldn't escape their fiendish devices.
For a few minutes, Felix paced back and forth at the top of the stairwell, then turned with a decisively set look on his face and went back up to Venus Lighthouse Aerie.
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"He's still up there. What are we going to do?" Mia inquired of Isaac. They had been waiting for the figure at the top of the stairwell, probably Felix or Alex, to leave for some time now. She did not like the expression on Isaac's face that looked uncomfortably like 'Whatever it takes' to her. She had convinced him to wait, for fear of an ambush or trap, but doubted she could keep him down here much longer
The figure on the stairwell finally turned and strode away, back from whence it came.
After a moment's hesitation, but not daring to wait any longer fearing the imminent lighting of the lighthouse, Isaac and Mia climbed stealthily up the steps. They swept that room for traps, and on their way up the next flight of stairs Isaac pushed off the statue that stopped the energy field from forming. It restarted with an ominous crackle.
There would be no last minute cavalry.
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"At long last the time has come to light Venus Lighthouse's beacon." The words felt like an arduous ritual to be preformed before lighting. Menardi savored each moment that brought them closer to saving Prox.
"With the second beacon lit, only two will remain." The urge to throw the star in immediately was almost overwhelming for Saturos. Just a few moments more.
"No, lighting Jupiter is virtually the same as lighting Mars." Even with Felix safely gone from his element's lighthouse, Menardi remained testy. She always had to be a stickler for details.
"That is true. Jupiter is all that really remains." And with their newly acquired Jupiter adept, that would be a breeze.
"That's true. Your dreams are within your grasp now." Felix spoke as he reappeared from the left stairwell, which he had disappeared down minutes ago.
"Why are you still here, Felix?" The edge on Menardi's voice told Felix that her mood had gone from excited annoyance to tense danger, and that it would be best if he was careful with what he said.
"Because I have a promise to keep." Not that it was the safest thing to say to her in this mood, especially when she figured out what he meant.
"A promise, you say? You must mean Sheba…" Felix did not like that look in her eyes. Best to play out all his cards.
"Yes, Sheba. Why haven't you released her yet? Because you need her for Jupiter Lighthouse?"
"I'm sorry Felix, but we can not even enter without a wind adept." The sneer so evident in her voice made it crystal clear she was anything but sorry. But Felix would not have even started on this journey if he had not been able to hold his own, at least in words, with the likes of her. He wouldn't have been able to survive all these years with his dear, sharp-tempered, loveable little sister either. It wasn't so hard, just life and death riding on every word. No sweat.
"If that is all, then you should go, Felix." Felix had nearly forgotten that Saturos was there as well. He had a tendency to blend in and fade away when he wanted to. What Felix would have given for that ability with Jenna and Menardi as traveling companions.
"No! I cannot leave Sheba behind! I'm taking Sheba to the ship!" Oh well, he always tended to say the wrong thing at the wrong time to attract all the wrong attention. He might as well make the best of it.
"We told you that we'd protect Sheba. Don't you trust us?" Such a smooth tone, Saturos always seemed to remain calm during such decisive moments, on the outside at least.
"Don't you trust me?" Felix's best mocking tone failed to get any reaction from Saturos. If Menardi's smirk, which had worked its way to her mouth now, was any way to judge then the answer was a firm, resounding 'No!'. Not that anyone would say as much out loud.
"Come with me, Sheba! I shall protect you!" Felix's bold exclamation was overly loud on the silent aerie. Sheba was beginning to wonder if she had any say at all in this. She was a person, not property to be argued over. She walked over to Felix anyway, some illogical vestige of trust already formed between her and this bold warrior.
"Are you ready to do this, even though it means fighting us?" Finally some action, Saturos was beginning to think that continuing oppression had dulled the boy's fighting spirit.
"I believe he is! He would not have defied us if he lacked the will to fight." Menardi shot Saturos a glance; their little improvised repartee was undoubtedly working Felix up to the boiling point. They could make good use of his temper.
"If it means protecting Sheba from harm, then I must." If Sheba had been the cooing type, Felix's words would have opened floodgates of gushing gratitude. Luckily she was a sensible girl, and simply gave him an appreciative nod as they edged towards the right elevator of the lighthouse.
"This rebellious attitude is exactly why we've never let you fight."
"Haven't you been given enough reason to fear us on these travels?"
"You're no fighter, Felix. How can you hope to stand against us?"
The taunting comments were getting to Felix. He readied his sword for a final battle, a showdown. He could not lose.
"You've questioned us for the last time! Let's see what you can do!" Menardi had almost gotten bored with all the chatter.
Time to finish this.
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Isaac signaled a halt at the top of the steps to the aerie. As he and Mia peered around the corner, loud bickering could be heard from near the beacon, as of yet unlit.
"Looks like there's been a falling out over Sheba. I don't think Saturos and Menardi trust Felix anymore." If Saturos and Menardi were having troubles with Felix, maybe there was hope for him yet. Mia suppressed the urge to let out an excited squeal. She took a breath to calm down. "They're going to fight, I think."
Isaac's face slowly twisted into a cold smirk, a look Mia had never seen on his face before and never cared to see ever again. He spoke only a single, absolutely toneless, word.
"Perfect."
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Parrying the oncoming blows of two separate opponents at the same time was quite a bit harder than Felix had expected, much less making attacks of his own. He was beginning to consider telling Sheba to run and hoping she could make it away on her own while he stalled Saturos and Menardi.
Then came the lightning flash. Or, more specifically, the Plasma blast.
He had somehow forgotten in the heat of battle that Sheba was a capable Jupiter adept, able to take care of herself. Mostly. He knew that she could not take on Saturos and Menardi by herself, and was beginning to suspect the same thing of himself. Apparently she had come to that conclusion first, and had decided that their chances were better fighting side-by-side. She always was a quick girl.
Felix smiled grimly, but with fresh hope, and renewed his attacks.
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Isaac and Mia arrived at the top of the platform at the exact moment that Saturos and Menardi crumpled under Felix and Sheba's attacks. It disappointed Isaac somewhat to have his fun taken from him, but as Sheba and Felix turned to walk away, Saturos and Menardi once again rose to their feet. They only looked slightly winded.
"Isaac…" Felix was startled. He never expected his childhood friend to have matured into such a warrior in such a short time. Although there was something… unsettling to Isaac's presence now.
"So! You've come to stop us?" These pestering children really grated on Saturos' nerves, especially after his embarrassing defeat at their hands not too long ago. But wait… There had been four of them then. Only two stood before them now.
"Look what your defiance had brought us, Felix!" Menardi felt the need to get rid of these pests, permanently, right now. Only a cool look from Saturos held her back.
"Caution, Menardi. Only two of the four children against us stand before us. The other two must wait in hiding somewhere, possibly for an ambush." A look of confusion passed Menardi's face. Why go against an opponent without the advantage of numbers, if it was possible? Anywhere they were hiding, if it was far enough away not to be noticed, must certainly be to far away for hasty rescuing. What would they do if she and Saturos got to their companions before any intervention could come? Something was definitely not right here.
"I don't need you, or anyone to rescue me, Isaac! I was just about to finish things with Saturos and Menardi… You can watch! Then I'll show you the true power of the beacon's light." Felix was severely annoyed. Just when things were going the way they were supposed to, these children showed up to ruin things again. He could not afford to think of them as anything other than 'these children'. Children who could not understand and must be kept in the dark, just sent home when things get too dangerous. Anything else would have impaired his logic and reason. Not to mention bring up some messy emotional junk.
"Silence! You'd best tread lightly, Felix, or both you and Sheba will suffer!" Not often did Saturos get angry enough to raise his voice, but when fully enraged there was almost nothing able to withstand shriveling under his wrath.
"If anything happens to Sheba, we will have failed Faran…" Mia muttered softly under her breath, but she still hoped to get out of this plus two new party members. And friends.
"Nothing will happen to Sheba." Felix was feeling quite confident by now. He figured that he and Sheba could escape after Isaac worked things out with Saturos and Menardi. Whichever group was left afterwards would undoubtedly be easier to deal with than both at the same time. Saturos ignored him.
"Don't worry. We won't hurt Sheba… if you meet our conditions." This would be good. Menardi shot him a clear 'Are you insane!' look.
"Leave this to me! Sheba! Do you remember the rod connected to Hesperia?" The excitement in his voice strained to be heard.
"The rod of Hesperia?" She thought it best to cooperate until they could get away safely.
"The rod required to reach Jupiter Lighthouse!" Even Saturos' patience had its limits.
"Ye-Yes…" Great time to be a stammering damsel in distress, Sheba wryly thought.
"Those who pursue us bear a rod… Is it the one?" That would be nice, the tool they needed, just falling into their laps.
"Sheba! Stay where you are! You can do it from there!" Testing boundaries was a bad thing to do when Menardi was angry. Nevertheless, Sheba's mind was whirling with ways to retard Saturos and Menardi's attempts to gain access to Jupiter Lighthouse.
She reached out with her mind, first to the girl in blue, a Mercury adept. She could find nothing about a rod there, just vague apprehension and fear. Strangely, those feelings were not directed at Saturos and Menardi. Wait, there was also a tiny glimmer of hope, not quite there, but waiting to be discovered.
Then she jumped over to the brooding warrior next to the girl, a Venus adept. His mind was eerily quiet, almost empty. The only thing connecting him to the girl beside him was the river of sorrow that ran through them both.
A river that ran from her to him… and on to… where? Another mind nearby? On the aerie with them?
"Another…?" Was all that escaped Sheba's lips as she furrowed her brow in effort of concentration to find the other mind.
And find it she did.
"How about it, Sheba?"
"Well?"
Such were the torrents of sorrow and pain and grief unleashed upon her when entering the mind of the hidden person, that it overwhelmed Sheba and sent her into a dead faint. Thankfully Felix caught and steadied her before she could fall and injure herself.
But that still left Saturos and Menardi out one valuable Jupiter adept, one piece of precious information, and one warning that could have saved their lives. Not that they were aware of it anyway.
Menardi took a menacing step towards Sheba's prone form, by Felix maneuvered himself directly between her and Sheba, his weapon at the ready. The look on Saturos' face said that he was not ready to commit to a battle over this, and Felix felt confidant enough to take on Menardi by himself, if the need arose. But he was spared that possibility by Saturos.
"Leave her. It's a waste to wake her up to try again." More than mild distaste was evident in Saturos' voice. He had thought the girl-child stronger than that.
"Saturos." Rarely was such deadly calm heard in a voice other than Menardi's. It sounded entirely out of place issuing from Isaac's mouth. Once he had assured that the proper parties were paying attention, he continued. "Good, I was almost afraid that you had forgotten us. You have something I want."
"What are you talking about, whelp?"
"I want the Jupiter star."
"And pray tell why I would so much as consider handing it over to you?"
"Because I've pledged to rekindle Jupiter's light."
Saturos made a momentary start, but covered it up quickly. This was an interesting twist. Assuming they were telling the truth, of course. Not that it mattered anyway.
"How intriguing… Menardi!"
"Yes, Saturos?" It was like he thought her subservient sometimes. But she knew that it usually wasn't that, he was just a bit… absent minded at times. He hadn't steered them wrong before, not that she knew of anyway.
"Would you please kindly give our guests the Jupiter star?" Menardi momentarily entertained the possibility that Saturos had gone quite stark raving mad, but when she realized what he was driving at, she knew he had not lost his cunning old edge. She smiled a predatory grin.
"Of course…" She purred. Literally, with a roll of the r and everything. Mia suppressed a shudder. Something wasn't right here.
Menardi approached Isaac, walking right past Felix and then Mia like they weren't even there. Keeping a hold of her scythe, she dug in her tunic and produced the Jupiter star. Presenting it to Isaac with an over-friendly flourish that he totally ignored, she even went so far as to make a mock-bow at him. He mirrored her smile back to her.
"Thank you, now we can leave you. No unnecessary bloodshed, right?" Even as he spoke, his actions belied his words. He unstrapped his sword from his pack and settled into a relaxed fighting stance.
"Yes, no unnecessary bloodshed. Of course it's necessary to remove any obstacles from our path." Saturos mused, as though to himself.
"And likewise necessary to prevent you from lighting this beacon." Isaac returned fluidly.
"Seems that there's going to be some bloodshed today… My kind of fun." Menardi narrowed her eyes in excitement. At last an opponent of almost worthy caliber, who might even last for more than a few minutes. This would be amusing at the very least, a break in the monotonous daily tedium of saving the world. She readied her deadly-sharp scythe.
"Bring it on, whelp! You won't live long enough to regret your stupidity!" The words deteriorated as bloodlust overcame Saturos' reason.
"Prepare to experience first-hand the horror of a master Fire Adept!" Menardi wasn't far behind.
Isaac and Mia battled valiantly, but, in the end they were overpowered by the two deft Mars Adepts. As the final blows were raised to be struck, a wave of flame washed over Saturos and Menardi, seeming to push them back.
"Saturos, what was that?" Menardi called. She got no response from her battle weary comrade, who was staring into some shadows under the steps leading up to the pinnacle of the aerie.
As she turned to watch, a figure slowly differentiated itself form the shadows and faded into view.
"Garet…" Mia's whisper could be heard straight across the silent aerie.
"Be on your guard, Menardi. This one has a killer's eyes." Well, Saturos didn't really think that, but a visit to Lunpa and Kalay with some two plus two equals five math gave him the best possible provocation for the moment.
Garet moved silently over between Mia and Isaac. Mia could not help thinking he had gotten very good at silence since she had last seen him. Not at all the same self-centered boy she met at Mercury Lighthouse.
Regardless of the touchingly unsentimental reunion of the young heroes, Saturos and Menardi had a job. And these snot-nosed brats were getting in the way of it. Menardi pulled out the Venus Star, while they were still distracted, and eagerly thrust it down the long shaft into the lighthouse's beacon. For awhile nothing seemed to happen. Isaac noticed what had happened first. He could feel the waves of earth psynergy emanating from the gaping maw of the beacon before even the first sign of the light rekindling itself.
Once again readying for battle, Mia was aghast to see to transformation overcoming Saturos and Menardi even as she watched. They seemed to be bending in the light of the beacon, morphing and melding into each other. Out of the quickly pulsing light stepped a large two-headed dragon, snarling fiercely.
Felix looked around. Things were going badly, that much he could tell. He figured that it was time to take Sheba and go. Unfortunately for him, Sheba had other plans. She wasn't moving from that spot until she saw what happened. She was so fascinated that she didn't even notice Felix's hand on her, trying to pull her away down the stairs. Subconsciously she swatted him away and returned in a trancelike state to her prime viewing location.
The battle raged on under the unyielding light of the lighthouse.
Things were not going well for Saturos and Menardi's dragon incarnation. Even though it was not easy for Isaac, Mia and Garet to keep it at bay, they were doing so. And more.
They were driving it back towards the empty hole of the beacon's pit. Slowly but surely, every step taken forced the dragon back farther, even as it sapped the three adepts to the core.
The moment of truth.
Saturos and Menardi's back claw had just scrabbled against the edge of the hole, slipping into vacant space. Only then did they realize their precarious position, previously hidden from them in their one-minded battle rage. They only had a moment's worth of surprise to puzzle over before both Isaac and Garet leapt into separate simontanious final attacks. Their blades plunged into the dragon's chest easily, and a blinding flash covered the aerie. When it had passed, Saturos and Menardi stood, albeit barely, on the rim of the crater.
"How… How did we lose?" Saturos moaned softly. This was shameful, to stand defeated before his enemies. Children no less!
"We were superior in every way, but still we were defeated." In years, power, cause. Nothing should have let this happen.
Their powers failing after such a long battle in dragon form, Saturos and Menardi began to sway. All energy seemed to have been sapped from their bodies, not even enough remained to stand upright. They simply toppled backwards into the deep black abyss. No one ever knew if they had let it happen, or if they fought the fall to the bitter end. But, there it was, they were gone.
Gone.
Even if the lighthouse had been lit.
It would be so easy, Isaac thought. So easy to send Garet right over the edge, just like Saturos and Menardi. No one would ever know if he used psynergy to push him. Garet was paying no heed to anything in his exhaustion, not even his close proximity to the dark pit. Mia sat panting on the floor, looking the other way, presumably at Felix. Another sticky problem to be faced soon.
So simple, just a push and it would be over. Justice? No, more like revenge. Even in the not quite lucid state of mind Isaac knew he was in, he admitted that fact.
If only…
But wishes didn't matter now.
He tried to work himself up to the act. Nothing should have been easier at the moment. Still coming off his battle adrenaline, definitely not over his dear friend's death…
His dear friend… Before it had happened, he would have applied that description to the boy before him. Now? Isaac wasn't sure if he would now… But he also wasn't sure if he wouldn't now either.
"I'm sorry Isaac; there was nothing you could have done today to change the outcome, please forgive yourself"
Isaac blinked rapidly at the sudden recall of Ivan last words to him. Please forgive yourself… What he was doing now, he was taking the blame for what had happened and taking it upon himself to dole out punishment.
Maybe Isaac still could have made himself give the final push, if not for the fact that at that precise moment Garet turned towards him, staring straight at him, or perhaps through him. His eyes seemed to tell that he was fully aware of Isaac's train of thought, as absurd as that seemed, and invited him to do what he wished. Not that he was exactly inviting death, or even wanted to die, but rather that he trusted Isaac implicitly. That he believed whatever Isaac decided would be right and final. As always.
And, like that, Isaac couldn't do it. He knew that it wasn't right or just. It would be murder, no less, no more. And cold blooded at that. He and Mia would most likely be dead right now if not for Garet's intervention and battle skills.
Isaac averted his eyes and turned to Mia. Sometime the air would need to be cleared between him and Garet, but here and now was neither the time nor the place. It was enough for now that he was no longer... out of sorts. Or homicidal, to put it bluntly.
"What now?" Isaac called to Felix, who stood near the stairway back down from the lighthouse, beside Sheba.
"You finished them? No one knew their power better than I did. If you destroyed them…" A strange look came to Felix's eyes at those words, "Then I am no match for you now, Isaac… I must go… Come, Sheba!" She gave him a dirty look for that commanding tone and condescending words. He knew that he would get it for that later, but his machoistic ego concerning his childhood friends would not have been appeased by anything less.
"Wait, Felix!" Mia called to him from across the lighthouse. He was going to leave, just like that? "They fell into the lighthouse. It's all over!" Finally.
He paused and half turned for a momentary look back, a look of pity and almost envy on his half-lit face. "Poor fools… If you think it's over, you are sadly mistaken!" He intoned in his best gravely voice. This was not the time for explanations or pity-parties. Isaac was up to something, and was not to be trusted for a moment.
Just then, a resounding crack shook the air, and the lighthouse leaped apart to split into four equal sections, each too far away from the others to be reached by jumping. The jolt running through the lighthouse threw Sheba off of her feet, but Felix steadied her before she could fall. They hurried down the staircase and out of the lighthouse before it came together again, if that would happen, and Isaac, Garet, and Mia could give chase. Every moment of lead they got was valuable.
After a few minutes of wondering how they were supposed to get down from the lighthouse, short of jumping off, Mia was relieved to see the lighthouse pull itself together again, the beacon shining even more brightly than before.
Isaac reminded himself that now was not the time to be basking in the soothing light of the beacon. He looked around. Even though this particular escapade of theirs had mostly been a failure, at least the team was back together. Well, as back together as it was ever going to get. Time to leave, move on.
"Let's go." He said as he led the way down.
Mia followed immediately after him. Garet looked as though he was going to say something, or ask something, but then thought better of it and simply followed.
Even if he wasn't fully accepted back right now, at least he was no longer totally rejected. It was a start. It was enough for now. Those thoughts echoed in Garet's head as he left the lighthouse with his friends.
It was enough.
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Thanks sooooo much to all reviewers and people who have read and haven't reviewed.
Today's fun review game is to guilt trip the author into getting the next chapter up faster. Give it your best shot. Or not.